US president George W. Bush has gone ahead and named John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. It is the first time since the establishment of the UN that a US president has sent named an ambassador there without confirmation by the Senate, and Bush's arrogance is particularly notable for wholly ignoring questions about Bolton's qualifications and character since naming him to the post in March.
Bolton has displayed an extreme hatred of the UN, saying it would make no difference if several floors were removed from the UN building. He has said "there's no such thing as the United Nations." He is an extreme even among the Neocons who have led the US in its hard-line foreign policy. Naturally he supported the US invasion of Iraq. As became evident at his confirmation hearing, he has threatened subordinates who have different views with dismissal and has not reported intelligence to superiors when he didn't like it. Bush says that is the man who will "reform the UN," so you can only assume that he thinks nothing of the institution.
Bolton's appointment could become an obstacle to the effort to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, about which there is rare progress in negotiations. Right ahead of the first round of six-party talks in 2003 he visited Seoul and tried to block progress by calling chairman Kim Jong Il a "tyrannical dictator" and North Korea a "hellish nightmare." Of course as the US State Department undersecretary for arms control he pursued hard-line policies as he demanded North Korea's unilateral submission and sought a blockade policy.
Global public opinion about the Bush Administration has continued to worsen over the past few years. The greatest reason for that has been unilateral foreign policy, and the disregard for the UN symbolizes that. If Bush has the slightest sense of the problem, he needs to withdraw his appointment of Bolton immediately.
The Hankyoreh, 3 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] US Disregard for the UN |
