The United Nations on the sidelines

By Charles Bloomer
web posted October 29, 2001

As President George W. Bush has taken his explanations and
ideas regarding the war on terrorism to the American people,
one suggestion has been consistently missing: The involvement of
the United Nations. The only reference to the UN that the
president has made has been his expectation for the United
Nations to help with post-war nation building in Afghanistan.

President Bush has not seen the necessity of including the UN in
the United States' response to the terrorist attacks of September
11. Unlike his father, who used the United Nations to enhance
the credibility of US actions in the Gulf War, President Bush has,
to a large degree, ignored the UN and does not seek their
sanction or permission in his conduct of the current war.

Of course, the current president is working under a different set
of conditions than those his father encountered. This time, the
United States has been attacked and thousands of innocents
have been killed. There is no need for the United States to get
permission to act in self-defense against those who have caused
us harm, and have threatened to harm us again. Common sense
tells us that we have the right to protect ourselves from further
attacks, to destroy or incapacitate those who wish to do us
harm.

So far, the United Nations has been effectively out of the
limelight, despite its attempts to gain attention. A statement by
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan shortly after the attacks tried
to re-establish some credibility to the UN by stating that any
action by the United States against terrorists would only be
legitimate if sanctioned by the UN. The Bush administration
ignored the comment.

In another attempt to rein in the US and its war on terrorists, the
UN has expressed concern over comments by the US that the
US reserved the right to extend the military campaign against
other countries that harbor terrorists. In a letter to the UN
Security Council, the US ambassador to the UN, John
Negroponte said, "We may find our self-defense requires further
action with respect to other organizations and other states."
Some members of the United Nations are understandably
concerned that the US may come after them. All of the countries
on the State Department's list of terrorist states, or supporters of
terrorists are members of the UN.

President Bush has been right to keep the UN on the sidelines.
Despite the gratuitous awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the
UN and Kofi Annan, the UN has nothing to offer to our war
against terrorism. The United States does not need UN approval
to pursue those who attack the US. There is no credibility to be
gained from an organization whose members consistently oppose
the United States, an organization where a majority of member
states are not liberal democracies, an organization whose
members include states that the US State Department considers
active supporters of terrorism – Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North
Korea, Sudan and Syria.

What legitimacy is to be gained from a United Nations that
recently, since the September attacks, voted to include Syria on
the UN Security Council? Why should the US seek approval
from an organization whose concept of fighting terrorism
"intended to the lives of terrorists…more difficult" is to call for an
international convention? Kofi Annan said that the convention
would "provide a common legal framework…to pursue the fight
and struggle against terrorism." What the Secretary General fails
to grasp is that a "legal framework" already exists: Self defense
and national security.

President Bush has made an intelligent decision to pursue the
fight against terrorism based on America's national security
needs. The national security decisions of the United States
should not be turned over to any other organization, but should
be made by those who have the best interests of the United
States in mind. As the United States acts to protect itself, the
actions and opinions of the United Nations are increasingly
irrelevant.

The United Nations can sit this one out. If they are smart, they
will stay out of the way. As President Bush said, "You're either
with us, or you're on the side of the terrorists."

Charles Bloomer is a Senior Writer at Enter Stage Right. He can
be contacted at clbloomer@enterstageright.com. © 2001
Charles Bloomer

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