Annan plans to take the US to task for our go it alone policy in our fight against terrorism. Our desire to protect ourselves against terrorists is seen by him to be at the expense of other nations and the rule of law.
I could link to the many articles written about the UN resolutions that were violated by Saddam Hussein but I won't. I could point out that the fact that the US did not take this step alone but had the help of many countries including Italy, Spain, England and Australia but I won't. What I will say is this, it's a shame that the UN had to be run by this man for so many years. Under his reign there have been multiple scandals including kick backs from the food for oil program, there have been charges of rape and the prostitution of children by peacekeepers, there are seven thousand UN troops in Dafur but thousands of people have been killed and many have been raped under their watch, there have been many areas of conflict and terrorism has grown under his watch and not to mention the race for nuclear arms and yet he will talk about what we've done wrong. Please keep in mind these scandals and deficit of leadership when he speaks today:
As a great man (and Deity) once said, "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." What Annan will say of the US can be said of the UN. One day, maybe he will be able to admit what a failure he has been. But with the accolades of various institutions, I doubt it.In a farewell speech on U.S. soil today, retiring United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to deliver a tough critique of President Bush's policies. He will accuse the administration of trying to secure the United States from terrorism in part by dominating other nations through force, committing what he termed human rights abuses and taking military action without broad international support.Though Annan has long been a critic of the war in Iraq and other Bush foreign policies, the planned speech is among his toughest and is unusual for a U.N. secretary-general concluding his tenure.
Annan's remarks, provided to USA TODAY by his office, list principles for international relations, among them "respect for human rights and the rule of law."
These ideas can be advanced only "if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism," the speech says. "When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused."
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The speech continues that "governments must be accountable for their actions in the international arena, as well as in the domestic one."
I was struck by the irony of Clinton's praise of Annan:
Clinton says Annan's ten years at the helm have been "historic," having "changed the lives of (m) millions of people and helped to make the U-N not just a seat of advocacy but a place of action."I'm sure that those who have been raped by the peacekeepers would agree.
