Presumptive nominee John McCain’s speech Wednesday to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles focused on his supposed emphasis on a more multi-lateral foreign policy. Much of the news coverage suggested this represents an attempt by McCain to forge a different path from the Cowboy-ism of the Bush administration. Rather than point out that — contrary to the conventional wisdom — the Bush administration generally has pursued the multi-lateral approach, rendering McCain’s position largely rhetorical, I will focus on this proposal:
In the speech, McCain renewed his call for a “global compact — a League of Democracies” that would unite the world’s free countries against tyranny, disease and environmental destruction.
Rhetorically, this is a more positive way for McCain to point out that the United Nations already has its own informal League of Dictatorships, that it is riddled with corruption, its so-called Human Rights Council almost completely ignores violations not committed by Israel, that its peacekeepers are often ineffectual — when they are not busy sexually abusing the local children or “roasting” a Somali boy over a flaming brazier, and so on.
On the other hand, prior similar efforts like the Community of Democracies seem to have bumped along to no noticable effect. Moreover, when considering proposals to expand NATO into a worldwide organization dedicated to spreading liberty, it is hard to overlook that since World War II, the US has been paying most of the cost of defending Europe, thereby subsidizing their more socialist welfare states.
Indeed, it is hard to overlook the current situation in Afghanistan under the NATO umbrella:
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has repeatedly called on NATO member countries to contribute more troops to the troubled country. To date, these pleas have not inspired an overwhelming response among NATO partner countries.
That is putting it a bit mildly, and one big reason why Iraq has emerged as a more stable country than Afghanistan, according to Jane’s Information Group.
Furthermore, the notion that a League of Democracies is going to combat environmental destruction borders on fantasy. To take the most obvious example, John McCain may believe that global warming requires urgent action, but a group that excludes China is an unlikely vehicle for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Obviously, the US can benefit from improving relationships and cooperation with its allies. And as noted above, McCain’s proposal would at least provide a way to point out the myriad flaws of the United Nations. However, the record shows that our pursuit of multi-lateralism is welcomed by other nations in no small part because they see it as a way of empowering and enriching themselves at our expense. This remains true even when those other nations are democracies.
Karl – The UN is a joke. NATO is a joke… and the WTO.
Can you write a piece exploring a unilateral intl debt forgiveness by the US? Sorry to request, but I would be interested in the US exploring resetting the debt-o-meter to zero… unilaterally… we could call it “restructuring”… I know this has been a popular approach among foreign nations who borrowed heavily from the US over the past 60 years. Time to return the favor?
Hey, now, hold up there, Pilgrim.
oops….
to forge a different path from the Cowboy-ism of the Bush administration
Hey, now, hold up there, Pilgrim.
Our deal to help India get nuclear power is probably the single-biggest for real carbon emission reducer thingie ever proposed. Democrats a lot just aren’t having it.
This gives a nice cover to the time when a President McCain (should he be elected) has to take the United States somewhere alone.
“Hey, I’m committed to working with allies, you guys know that, and I tried, but gosh, they just can’t do it. So here we go.”
The League of Nations was the tree from which the United Nations acorn fell.
Bold concept, McCain. I admire his chutzpah. Now if he were thirty years younger he would have twenty in which to hammer the worldwide hammerheads into shape.
What’s he got, maybe five?
re your post – I too saw CNN story intimating that McCain vowed to change the US strategy of “going it alone”. How do you think the coalition forces feel about that interpretation? Further, for God’s sake the UN helmets are powder blue!! Spooooooooky! Striking fear into the hearts of all who might pass by one of their “observation posts”, where they are cloistered like tenured professors.
little known fact… UN weapons are simply replicas of the real thing.
Karl, i think you mispelled his name. it’s McCainbush. or so the democratics tell me.
Maggie – good catch.
a/k/a McSame
McOld
McRetired
McAncient
McCain doesn’t give a shit about what conservative voters think. He is assuming (as are most of the pundits) that conservatives will fall in line behind him because the alternatives are so much worse.
I hope he pulls his team of horses off to the right pretty quick. Otherwise he can just kiss my ass on the way by.
This just in from France:
They want to play Justice League, but only if they get to be Green Lantern…
…and on the occasional weekend night, Hawkgirl.
uh, Cowboy, which one?
France strikes me more as the brother twin from the Wonder Twins. They refer to them as Superheros, but all he could do was change into the form of ice floes or a cup of water. Not real super, really.
I mean, they obviously wouldn’t be Hal Jordan.
While he’s dreaming of coconut pies, McCain should wish for ‘a permanent Republican majority’.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/politics/campaign/05rove.html
– If we get to wear Super Hero-ey stuff, and hang with the Incredibles, count Me in.
– McPain, McMosses, McNap, McRino
– Aside from his “old man waddle”, and “bedtime stories to his grand daughters” whiny voice, he simply creeps me out. If he thinks hes going to get away with the open borders one world bullshit hes in for a long 4 years.
– Its come down to just sucking it up and deciding which one of the three Lefties running for the office we can live with.
So, seman, what are you trying to distract from now? The failure of international bodies to be anything but promoters of oppression and poverty?
International bodies promote the status quo, because that’s what diplomats do. Soldiers, on the other hand, specialize in rearranging the status quo, so the State Department will never get along with the Department of Defense.
Rearranging the status quo upsets everybody because you got to learn the names and customs of new countries, remember the unpronouncable name of their ambassador – in short, it really trashes that great rolodex you had going. If the status quo consists of mostly brutal dictators, tyrants, and thugs then diplomats work to keep those bad guys in power – its stability, of course – and frown at anyone suggesting otherwise.
Speaking of bedtime stories to the granddaughters:
When I was a kid, a special Justice League edition was issued with the main story line being a competition among all the members to find out which one was the bestest. And the winner was (drum roll, please) Bouncing Boy! (cymbal crash!)
I’m not sure what the proper corollary is to this thread, but maybe some else here can fill that in.
World temps have been stable since 2002. Except for this year they have started falling. So far about .1 deg C which is a lot for climate science. BTW that is according to the most reliable satellite data.
Solar scientists are predicting a little ice age with its depth around 2030. So far they appear on target. The next solar cycle has yet to start. NASA says maybe some time in 2009. Making it at least a year late.
As usual – once government is ready to act the problem has changed. Add science to the things McCain could use a refresher course on.
Ice Ages are teh suck I think.
Actually I wouldn’t have a problem with a replacement UN made up only of free countries. Part of the UN’s problem is that they have no mechanism or process for distinguishing between, say, Pol Pot’s regime and a nation run by Mother Theresa. It would depend on the idea behind the league and their purpose and intent but I could see it work. President Bush has, in essence, been doing this for his whole presidency without the official name.
I don’t want France joining though.
Not to nitpick, but I’m pretty sure Bouncing Boy was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, which is set in the future. So that would be an even bigger leap than the JLA. And I would go with Duo Damsel.
What about the Irish? Or are we going to be like Rock Ridge?
If McCain wins, I suspect the Irish will be admitted, but we won’t have the black Sheriff.
Right you are, Karl. And no complaints from me about Duo Damsel. She could bring home the bacon, and fry it up in the pan!
Of course, BB married DD, so he clearly had something goin’ on.
I like Saturn Girl and Dreamy better, but there is a lot to like about a girl who’s her own twins (or triplets, depending on the incarnation of the Legion).
You may be right, feets.
Is snooty even a superpower?
Now you’re drifting away from Justice League and into “The Mystery Men.”
No so hot on Saturn Girl. Maybe I’m being an alliterationist, but that’s just the way I was brought up.
I have had to google almost all of these characters. I was not much of a cartoon watcher/reader as a child.
And I, in turn, haven’t had to so much as glance at a reference for any of them.
Nerdiness is the worst superpower ever.
Amen, PCachu.
the correct answer is G’nort France would be G’nort.
If nerdiness is a superpower, and we are associating nations with superheroes, then MacGuyver is America. Anyone who can make a bazooka out of a ’59 Cadillac (and keeps the car running and has it restored by the end of the episode) is an American super-powered nerd.
And the King of the Nerds.
Well, good. He should stop asking for troops from NATO countries and start asking for troops that will go outside Kabul and fight.
The good news is that Sarkozy has pledged more troops for Afghanistan. The bad news is they’ll be French.
You don’t go to war with the army you want I guess. That man what said that was really a lot brilliant I think.
– The problem for the French is they have to go to war with the army that shows up.
Which is a real problem when the army that shows up is German.