The naked king
The king is being stripped in full public view. The Security Council, which Mark Malloch Brown the deputy to Kofi Annan calls the king of world governance, is naked beneath apparently useless clothes of laws regulating wars and civilian suffering.
For long, we thought the international system led by the Security Council would help us to build a better world. We learn now, after decades of being taught to hope, that any government, terrorist group or militia can start a war as it pleases. It can also visit as much destruction as it wishes while the Security Council negotiates empty threats.
The latest example is resolution 1701 aimed at ending the fighting in Lebanon. This is a plaintive call from a Security Council trying to believe it has the power to impose its will on belligerents. Other examples include the futile Security Council orders to North Korea and Iran, which disdainfully rejected the resolutions within minutes of approval.
I am not making these points to denigrate 1701 or the Security Council process. Without even these tatters, all of us would be condemned to complete loss of hope. However, we should not pretend there is a system of global governance here capable of protecting us against war and terrorism. What 1701 achieved is just a slowdown in the widening of terrorist violence and Israel’s wars.
The Security Council, which comprises only governments, pretends that the Lebanese government’s aye to 1701 can stop Hezbollah from trying to destroy Israel. To help, it offers 15,000 UNIFIL troops drawn from disparate countries that have never worked together and have no experience of fighting battle-hardened guerrillas like Hezbollah.
Some officials interpret 1701 to mean that UNIFIL troops can shoot to kill Hezbollah to enforce a buffer zone free of armed militias. This merits a giant pinch of salt. Yes, the troops will shoot if fired upon, but it is far from clear that they will shoot first if they see Hezbollah fighters ferrying empty tanks into the zone.
The politics of attacking Hezbollah, which 1701 does not brand as an enemy, are so complex that trying to turn this UNIFIL into an offensive force could stop it from ever being constituted.
However, miracles can happen. Israel might suddenly offer generous peace terms that do not humiliate Hezbollah while placating Syria. Then, 1701 could be the start to realizing our dream of building a better world based on values rather than violence.
Instead, Israel hopes that Shiites returning to their devastated homes will turn against Hezbollah in outrage. It hopes that Lebanese Christians and Sunnis are so angry that Hezbollah will give up its guns for the sake of Lebanon’s unity. It hopes that Hezbollah will be so busy rebuilding the south to win back Shiite favor that it will no longer wish to make war. This is hardly a coherent plan to build peace for Israel’s children.
It also goes against common sense to think that UNIFIL’s mere presence will stop Hezbollah from regrouping and fortifying its devastated bunkers under camouflage of rebuilding the south for civilians.
Whichever way this hair is split, one trend is apparent: military might even that of terrorists still confers right regardless of Security Council resolutions. Meanwhile, the weak wonder whether to bow to the Security Council king or kiss the rings of those with trigger-happy fingers.
When will the global community, especially the silent majority of moderate voters in democracies, say enough is enough and force its leaders to defuse this dictatorship of violence?
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12 Responses to “The naked king”
Really? A group dedicated to not fighting, can’t defend people. Wow. What are the odds?
We could easily have peace in our time. Just give up, let the most repressive ‘government’ take up place, and you’d even see violent crime drop, too. Of course, some might not really enjoy the costs…
Anyway, even if the United Nations were able to actively prevent war, given the power and the will to use it, do you actually think they’d be trustable with it? Really, and do remember that these are the folks who have no problem flying their flag right next to ones of the “Party of God” – and even the UN calls Hezbollah terrorists.
well said!
I agree with everything said. The UN force in southern Lebanon has been so impotent in the last few years that it sat by and videotaped Hezbolla attacking and kidnapping Israeli soldiers… twice. What does the world expect them to do now with 15,000 soldiers? Maybe now they’ll have enough man-power to edit, add effects and release it as a full-length movie.
First of all The United Nations Security Counsel has been ineffective for years. Any country or terrorist group that wasnt to wage war will. It is the reaction after the attack that is comdemned. This has been going on for years. Let us go back to Somallia were there was a needless los of life due to ineffective corridination. Resolutions of the security counsel did no good there. All the resolutions against Iqar were ineffective. Those against Afganistan, ineffective. And the list gose on and on. To think that 1559 was going to work without the threat or actually going on the offensive was a day dream. 1701 will be the same. Unitl the governments that have terrorist organizations within their boarder are willing to take up arms and remove them from their soil, the UN security counsel will always be ineffective.
It’s true the UN has proven itself impotent but it has become so because of George W Bush. He uses the UN as a tool to advance Israeli policies, right or wrong. This has caused the USA &the UN to lose their moral authority, their biggest asset in influencing nations &peoples.
Bush does this because he discovered he has no influence over Israel. He tried to tell them to stop building the wall, to stop expanding settlements. Israel ignored him. He presented his “roadmap”. Palestinians accepted it and Israel said they supported it but ignored its provisions.
To avoid appearing impotent, Bush decide to support Israel right or wrong A new problem arose. If Bush talked to the Palestinians, Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc and asked them to change things, they would demand reciprocity from Israel. And Bush knew Israel would ignore him. So he decide not to talk to “terrorists.” Bush developed his “Israel has the right to defend itself” po;icy. (This implies that noone else does.) And he’s sone the same thing with North Korea.
Like Bush, the UN has become impotent and Bush has made it so.
Here we go with the liberal idea that it is all Bushes fault and that the UN security counsel bows to the US. Let us go back many years to when Carter was president, the UN did nothing when the terrorist organizations took hostages. This has been going on for years. 1993 first bombing of the trade centers, Clinton was president, did the UN want to go out and get the terrorist, I think not. Clintons response was a 1 million dollar missile into an empty terrorist camp in Afganistan. The barracks in Beriut, (a UN function) did the UN want to go out and get the terrorist, I think not. This all leads to the worlad trade centers in 2001. Bush did not start this. It was started along time ago.
WE AS A NATION HAVE TO LOOK BACK AT OUR PAST TO SEE HOW THE PEOPLE PULLED TO GETHER TO DEFEAT A COMMON ENEMY (NATZI &JAPAN) DURING WW 2 WELL WERE HERE AGIN BUT IT IS KNOW RATICALIZIM THAT WE MUST DEFEAT SO LETS BAN TOGETHER AND KICK SOME ASS!!!!!!!!!
MIKE 11
WWII? What are you talking about? We are not at war.
Salmenio,
What do you mean we are not at war! It really doesn’t mater if it is declared or not. WE ARE AT WAR! Terrorist do not care if war is declared or not. As a matter of fact I do beleive that they themselves have delacred war on us. Just because the president or congress have not offically declared it, we are at war for our very survival as a free people.
It’s true the UN has proven itself impotent but it has become so because of George W Bush.
The UN’s been impotent since at least at least the early 80s, arguably much, much before then. I understand you think George Bush is omnipotent, but I doubt time travel is within his power
It doesn’t matter what terms Israel might offer. The Lebanese and U.N. forces will do nothing to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding their supply of missiles and the places to hide them, Hezbollah will rebuild and resupply with the help of Iran and Syria.
These events would happen even if Israel left Lebanon tomorrow and turned over Shebaa Farms to Lebanon the day after. Hezbollah would come up with another excuse the day after.
we are at war and it is a world war because teh terroist are attacking all over the world so lets get it in gear and kick some ass!!!!!!