It’s Tough Captaining the Sinking Boat
As Kofi Annan took over the post of UN Secretary General from the U.S.-averse Boutros Ghali in 1997, everyone dubbed him America’s protégé. Indeed, the United States backed up the African at the election. Ten years later, when Mr. Annan’s term in office is about to expire, the Americans heard harsh criticism from him instead of words of gratitude.
It is not that the outgoing UN chief is unbelievably ungrateful and suddenly became oblivious of his patron’s good deeds. Neither is Kofi Annan resentful at the Americans because they rapped his draft reform of the UN last year. This looks like a tardy rebellion of the chief international organization’s chief official in whose time in office the UN has slowly begun to crumble. It was during the years of Annan’s contract that the UN suffered the strongest blow after which the organization will hardly be able to make full recovery.
The U.S.-led NATO offensive dropped bombs on Yugoslavia in 1999 in the alliance’s first large-scale military offensive in Europe. What is crucial, NATO’s bombardments were not sanctioned by the UN Security Council. This was a massive blow on one of the cornerstones of the whole post-war international security system which sent reeling the UN Security Council and its key role in settling world disputes.
Invading Iraq in 2003 – again without the Security Council’s sanction – the United States finally smashed the cornerstone to pieces. This was essentially a verdict for the chief international organization – or at least, a verdict for its present version.
It was not Kofi Annan’s fault. If any other official headed the UN, its role would not be more significant than it is now. The influence of the organization is shrinking not only because the UN was initially created as machinery to operate post-war system of international relations. More importantly, the system passed away long ago, making its machinery useless.
The United Nations run into troubles because its 192 members are only formally equal in their rights. A quarter of the UN budget comes straight from U.S. state coffers. As we say, if you pay, you’ll choose the music.
As long as the world had two centers of dominance, the American music was not that loud in the building on the East River. Once the world ended up with the only one superpower – the United States – there was no need to be restrained by UN restrictions. Washington needed an obedient UN or no UN at all.
Opponents of the United States are perfectly aware of that. Yet, they would not venture to confront the sole superpower openly. The price is too high – both in terms of politics and money. So, the only thing left for them to do is criticizing certain drawbacks of American policy. So did the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan three weeks before leaving his office.
Gennady Sysoev, columnist
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 13, 2006
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