US, Bolton attacks UN commitments

August 26th, 2005 at 12:00 Björn Hallberg

Guess what, the US, spearheaded by their new knave, John Bolton, is trying their best to scuttle UN’s global strategy. No less than 32-page US version, littered with deletions and exclusions, 750 amendments. In the summary the US wants the same old things …

Millennium goals:
References to the Millennium Development Goals systematically removed and replaced by vague references to the reduction of poverty, and a promise to reinforce the trend.

Foreign aid:
Deletion of all references to 0.7 per cent figure. Wants to link further increases to good housekeeping - and further liberalisation of markets.

Climate change:
Stresses energy efficiency and development of new technologies, and rejects global action plan. Rejects assertion that climate change is a long-term challenge that could potentially affect every part of the world.

Nuclear disarmament:
To shift focus to halting the spread of the world’s deadliest weapons. Will not specifically recommit to working towards nuclear disarmament, although will recommit to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

International Criminal Court:
No reference to International Criminal Court, whose statutes the Bush administration controversially withdrew from in 2002.

Trade:
Insistence that countries seeking to join the WTO must be willing and able to undertake WTO commitments. Baulks at “facilitating” entry of developing countries.

Obviously the US can’t win this conflict of ideology, but they can cause enough of a ruckus to water down any UN commitments. Because say what you will of the UN, but they are accommodating. Their one big shortcoming that is constantly being taken advantage of by the US, when they are not too busy complaining about the UN being too soft of course. I predict that the US would not be so happy if the UN showed its teeth for once.

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