Bush 'Undermining the UN with Aid Coalition'

[cosmo]

GOOD THEN!! The US should find other ways besides the incompetent UN to run things, especially when these other countries want to do the same.

Who cares? If the other countries want to do things independent from the UN, then they should have the freedom to. Ms Short should keep her mouth shut.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3944374

Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition'

By Jamie Lyons, PA Political Correspondent


United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate relief following the Asian tsunami disaster.

The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world?s response.

But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said that role should be left to the UN.

?I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,? she said.

?Only really the UN can do that job,? she told BBC Radio Four?s PM programme.

?It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers.?

Ms Short said the coalition countries did not have good records on responding to international disasters.

She said the US was ?very bad at coordinating with anyone? and India had its own problems to deal with.

?I don?t know what that is about but it sounds very much, I am afraid, like the US trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the UN system,? she added.

[toasty]

Re: Bush 'Undermining the UN with Aid Coalition'

As long as these folks are getting some help, I'm sure they could all care less whether it comes from the UN or some "rival coalition."

If, in fact, Bush is setting up his own coalition, though, my only question is why bother to do so when the UN effort is already underway? Wrong setting for a power play -- reminds me of those old movies where a heroine is sinking in quicksand whilst two would-be "heroes" dicker over who gets to resuce her...

[cosmo]

Re: Bush 'Undermining the UN with Aid Coalition'

As long as these folks are getting some help, I'm sure they could all care less whether it comes from the UN or some "rival coalition."

If, in fact, Bush is setting up his own coalition, though, my only question is why bother to do so when the UN effort is already underway? Wrong setting for a power play -- reminds me of those old movies where a heroine is sinking in quicksand whilst two would-be "heroes" dicker over who gets to resuce her...

It wasn't a story until someone bitched. And who was that? It seems to me that the UN has a problem. The US teamed up with Japan and Australia, and are trying to send supplies together. Why, I do not care.

The UN, or one of their minions certainly does though.

The fact that this is even a story, just shows you who has a problem with who.

[cosmo]

btw, I wouldn't want to go through the UN anyway. The UN is incompetent. In all areas of work.

[Yao]

Maybe some people should concentrate on enhancing the structures of the UN instead of constantly bashing them. It's not gonna go away, so the only chance lies in change IMO...

[cosmo]

Maybe some people should concentrate on enhancing the structures of the UN instead of constantly bashing them. It's not gonna go away, so the only chance lies in change IMO...

How can you enhance the structures, when the figures within the administration already hate certain countries. The US was suckered into the UN by France, and they stabbed us in the back trying to strengthen their image around the world.

No matter what happens, some big-wig will inevitably rise to the occasion in order to talk down upon the US.

It never ends.

[DJkeithrace]

You are far to cynical to be even taken seriously.

[White_Hindu]

You know the United States effectively created the UN, right?

I mean, with Wilson's 14 points and the league of nations(the forerunner of the UN)...

I think it's stupid that the United States is so blatantly defying the will of their own council.

I hate to draw this parallel, but when I think about what's going on right now, a specific movie series comes to mind--Star Wars.

Remember episode 1? The trade federation made a blockade around the planet of Naboo, and the queen knew they were planning an invasion of the planet, but Naboo had no real military force(aside from the royal palace guards). She asked the Galactic senate of the Old republic for help, but all they did was launch an investigation(anyone remember OPEC?). The Jedi order was like "Fuck you guys, even though we're part of the same republic we're helping Naboo."

Anyways, the trade federation launched a massive invasion with a droid army which the Jedi pretty much defeated, and while it was against the will of the council, it ended alright. Score 1 for the Jedi.

Fast forward to episode 2. The repubic senate(Senator Palpatine mainly) took control of the senate and ordered the production of a massive clone army(clones of the battle-hearty Mandalorians) to do the will of the senate, because of the actions on Naboo. This served as a prime motivator of Count Dooku, who effectively took control of the army to do his own evil biddings, because he saw the Senate as ineffective.

This led to the eventual iron fist of the Imperial empire, who sought galactic domination by way of their massive army, thusly the rebirth of the Sith empire.

Now I'm not saying that Bush has a clone army in production, but our army is far superior to all others, and we've basically installed an imperial dictatorship in Iraq(I doubt this is the last country we will conquer).

I know, off on a tangent, but I fear that the invasion of Iraq is the downfall of the civilized world.

[Yao]

I wouldn't look at it that pessimistic, but you've got a point. THe US is indeed one of the founders of the UN, so it looks like it's fighting it's own creation at the moment.

Now I agree with cosmo that the UN is not by far as affective as it could be, but this 'power struggle' is really helping no-one. Problem is also that the US has lost a lot of credibility by running behind on paying the UN and ignoring the opinions of the other members in, for example, the Iraq case.

Cosmo, try to look at it from our side for once: France is the only country around here that is strong enough and has enough guts to really take a stand against the US. I know they didn't do it on behalf of Europe, but purely to protect their own interests, but for many people here it was a relief to finally see a country NOT being chicken shit and open up it's mouth.
France has a history in the middle east since long, and strong ties. Wether you approve of it or not, if there's any country with influence there, it's France. But instead of using this, the US is only playing the moral card and bypassing this potentially very useful asset completely!

I see it this way: You gotta be in the system to fuck the system.

Make friends with your enemies, you can hit them harder. France is not hitting them, but their influence is far more useful than all the rockets and guns in the world imo. But somehow I don't think this matters: the US's ego just seems too big...and so does France's.

But at this moment I have a lot more respect for the French than for the US, despite their flaws. Sorry man.