This morning I ran across two stories that made me wonder if the United States still has any credibility with the rest of the world. Do we have any political capital left, or did President Bush overdraw on our account the last time he visited the bank?

On Friday, I missed this report by OneWorld.net on UN ambassador John Bolton’s implied threat by the United States to close the United Nations. According to the report, Bolton gave his approval for the next two-year budget, but only for the next six months. Now there’s speculation that the United States won’t pay its dues unless there’s management reforms.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan isn’t some American politician the Bush administration can buy off and put in its back pocket, so what is Bolton trying to accomplish with these strong-armed tactics? We can’t pull an Eric Cartman and declare “Screw you guys…I’m goin’ home” when we don’t get our way. We supply the UN with 22% of its funding, but that doesn’t mean they do our bidding. The UN is a humanitarian organization that serves the world. What the Bush administration and their supporters forget about the UN is its purpose, which includes the following:

  • To maintain international peace and security
  • Promote economic and social development
  • The protection of human rights
  • Provide emergency relief through the coordination of humanitarian relief operations
  • The development of international law
  • The decolonization of former territories so they become soverign nations

I’m happy to report that Annan is standing behind Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown’s earlier comments that the United States doesn’t stand up for the UN against domestic critics and used the UN as a diplomatic tool. Bolton characterizes Brown’s comments as an affront to the American people but I don’t feel that way. Brown spoke the truth and that’s what needed in this debate. It’s time for Bolton to get back to the table and resolve disputes without any more public posturing or heavy-handed tactics.

In another disturbing article published over the weekend, The New York Times reported that the Bush administration could be looking into the possibilty of maintaining a fighting force of 50,000 troops in Iraq for years to come. Why is this necessary? Is it because we can’t restore electricity to Iraqi citizens? Because the pipelines that, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and others, were supposed to help finance this war cannot be protected from insurgents and black marketeers?

It would be pointless to maintain a fighting force in Iraq if we cannot control the country in the first place. During the past three years we have not shown any progress in restoring the country to anything it resembled under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Removing a tryant from power and killing a two-bit hoodlum that can’t fire a jammed machine gun does very little to solve any of the problems facing Iraqi citizens on a daily basis, most of whom don’t know how long the lights will stay on or remain unsure that the American soldiers they see are their friend or foe.

The last time we’ve stationed and maintained a significant fighting force on foreign soil during peacetime was in South Korea over fifty years ago, and technically the Korean War hasn’t ended yet. Will this war end with a cease-fire agreement as well? How much longer will our troops be in Iraq? No one knows and the Bush administration is not forthcoming with answers.

For those of you who are eligible to vote, especially those of you who are a.) under 25 years of age, and/or b.) registered to vote and choose not to participate in the electoral process, let the past six years teach you a valuable lesson: this is what happens when a failed businessman and mediocre college student with little political experience gets elected as President of the United States.

Don’t ever let this happen again.

Robbie Gonzalez is an Independent blogger from El Cajon, California. You can read more of his commentary on politics, sports, current events, and things happening around San Diego by visiting his blog Greetings From America’s Finest City.

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