Morning Cup of Kofi
This morning, it was Kofi, not coffee, that woke
me right up. Speaking at the 310th anniversary
(wow!) of the College of William and Mary, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan once again tried to
shore up the failing authority of the UN Security
Council. If actions speak louder than words, then
Annan spoke barely above a whisper today.
"When states decide to use force, not in
self-defense but to deal with broader threats to
international peace and security, there is no
substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by
the Security Council," Annan declared.
While Annan's words seem logical in an academic
sort of way, the unspoken truth behind them is that
the UN Security Council's legitimacy is sorely
threatened. If the Council does not act
decisively—and quickly—to disarm Iraq,
the Council will have no more legitimacy than a
spineless parent who never reigns in his spoiled
brat child. Threats without consequences are mere
empty words. The UN has threatened to disarm Iraq
since 1991, but few consequences have backed up
such threats. It's plain why Saddam Hussein has
consistently thumbed his nose at the UN. What
misbehaved child, who never feels his father's hand
on his backside or the isolation of being grounded,
has respect for his parents?
Annan urged the United States not to act against
Iraq unilaterally—but if the Security Council
does not act, then someone must. To carry the
parenting analogy further, it's not your place to
discipline someone else's bratty child if you
observe him talking back to his mother in public.
But if you find that same kid planting a pipe bomb
under someone's car while his careless mother isn't
watching, it's your duty to grab that kid and take
him to the police station. The UN Security Council
is that careless parent, and Saddam Hussein is that
spoiled brat—with weapons a lot more powerful
than a pipe bomb. If the UN wants to just sit on
the couch and watch Jerry Springer, and
occasionally yell at Hussein when he acts up, then
it's time to grab the dictator by the ear and haul
him off.
In his speech, Annan further warned Iraq that if
it failed to make use of "this last chance, and
continues its defiance, the council will have make
another grim choice, based on the findings of the
inspectors."
With all of the chances Iraq has been given in
the past 12 years, one wonders what "grim choice"
the Security Council will make. My guess is they
will "grimly" debate the issue further and "choose"
to pass another toothless resolution.
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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Today's
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Previously...
2/7:
Game
Over
2/6:
The
Eagle Never Landed
2/5:
Pope:
Potter No Problem
2/4:
Time
for Another Rewrite
2/3:
A
Matter of Opinions
2/2:
Suicidal
Bravado
2/1:
Godspeed,
Columbia
Archive: JANUARY
2003
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