Since President Bush — despite Vice President Cheney’s warnings — seems unpersuaded by the clear signs that the endless diplomatic efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear bomb program are not working and something more must be done…Since Washington seems unbothered on this score by the serious concerns of the Israelis, the French, and even to a notable extent the UN’s own ostrich-headed International Atomic Energy Agency … Since nothing in the way of words, deeds and evidence emanating from Iran seems likely to galvanize any effective response before it is far too late…
…Let’s listen for a moment to none other than former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who returned to his old UN haunts in New York this week to accept yet another prize and offer his views on global politics as — what was his phrase again? — oh yes, the former “chief diplomat of the world.”
Whatever his failings, Annan has at least racked up a record as a superb counter-indicator of good sense in defending the interests of the free world. If he feels moved to opine strongly, there is an excellent chance that the very opposite is true. This is the man who as head of UN peacekeeping in 1994 declined to act upon warnings of the imminent genocide in Rwanda. This is the man who as Secretary-General announced in 1998 that he could “do business” with Saddam — just before Saddam then kicked UN weapons inspectors out of Iraq for the next four years (to be fair, the UN under Annan did a lot of business with Saddam, but not exactly as advertised). This is the man who according to the UN’s own Volcker inquiry sat on in-house information about Oil-for-Food corruption while the program was underway — but who praised the program when it ended in 2003, and insisted in 2004, as the scandal began to erupt, that he had seen no evidence of wrong-doing by anyone on his staff.
This is the man who in 2000 posed for photos with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, while assuring us peace was on the way. This was the man who promised in 2006 that two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah would be extricated with the help of an Annan-picked mystery “facilitator”; the identity of that facilitator remains a mystery to this day, and so does the exact fate and whereabouts of those kidnapped Israeli soldiers. This is the man who in 2006, while Iran was violating UN Security Council demands to stop uranium enrichment, rushed to Tehran to shake hands hands with Mushroom-Cloud-in-Chief Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, telling him (by Ahmadinejad’s own account) not to worry too much about the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
One could go on and on in this vein. But let’s hit the punch line. Now, as Iran scoffs at one UN resolution after another, we have Kofi Annan clambering back onstage in New York to deliver himself of the statement that military action to stop Iran would be “a real disaster.”
Note to President Bush: The World’s Counter-Indicator-in-Chief has spoken (with apologies to Jimmy Carter, who has worked at least as hard for this title). Go for it.
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13 Comments
1. Gary Ogletree:Pretty smart-ass. But so true.
Mar 21, 2008 - 5:05 pm 2. Dark Helmet:Just don’t question kofi annan’s global patriotism…..
Mar 22, 2008 - 5:36 am 3. Richard:Given the fact that you have already mentioned the NK program how they are for the most part speaking nice words while laughing at us behind our backs, this really comes as no suprise. The appeasing UN and its cronies (and I include here the US Dept of State)will always seek a way to not confront evil even IF they see it.
If former President Carter had just provided even the smallest hint of a military action against Iran during the hostage crisis, we’d probably not even be having this debate today.
Mar 22, 2008 - 6:10 am 4. RHM:Kofi Annan has to be remembered as one of the most inept UNSGs of all time. I recently heard a Latin American head of state declare that it remains a mystery in LA as to why the presidents of the IMF and the WB always come from Europe and the US. Duh, they foot the bill. The real question is why does the Sec. Gen. of the UN always come from perpetually underdeveloped countries? (I know the alleged reasons, but I found this ironic).
Mar 22, 2008 - 8:48 am 5. Farzaneh:straight talk by an Iranian woman,
Mar 22, 2008 - 3:19 pm 6. Vahid:If there will be no Regime Change in Iran
If the nuclear sites in Iran are not destroyed before 2010,
And Islamic Republic in Iran is equipped with atomic bomb
US & International Community should not complain of being a desperate HOSTAGE of a state sponsored terrorism AGAIN.
This time will not be limited to a small facility or embassy.
This will not be anymore a case of bad intelligence.
The International civilized communities, will face over 10 million well trained Jihadist (since their childhood age of 7),with spirit of Martyrdom-seeking in cooperation with special interest groups of old superpowers or the so called “born again leftist”.
This will go on till the rule of Radical Islam victoriously take over the world and become a new super power cashing the postponed checks issued by Kofi Annan.
Yeah,Better Stop them, I am an iranian and I know how these mullahs think, you foreigners better be afraid of them as long as you have the power to eliminate them. Later you will not be albe to.
(But notice, if US attacks iran and stays in iran like they did in Iraq,they will be in real Hell, better attack,change the government from islamic autocracy to demovracy,and leave,QUICKLY, people have a real sense of hatred for americans thanks to State Media. and a greater sense of pride for being iranian,they will not let Americans stay here)
Mar 22, 2008 - 6:24 pm 7. gordo:War can be averted, possibly, by assassination of Iran’s leaders. Its illegal, I understand, for the U.S. to assassinate heads of state. But what if the heads of a state are killing our people by proxy? Strikes me that would be a righteous elimination. Otherwise, we will be at war, either right before or right after a nuclear attack on Israel.
Mar 22, 2008 - 7:16 pm 8. Tonto (USA):Hey, why not wait until they have nukes and start threatening? Then turn the whole frickin’ place into a smokin’ radioactive hole. If they already hate us, they couldn’t hate us more, so smoke ‘em!
Mar 22, 2008 - 9:55 pm 9. Samuel:The US doesn’t use Irani oil, our competitors do….kills two birds (actually more than just 2) with one stone. Nuke hell out of them.
This man, during his charge as UN Secretary-General, has defended the most hateful and bloody dictatorships and continues to be loyal to his terrorist friends. Kofi Annan’s only goal was and continues to be to sink the World in demoniac sewer of Islamist, fascist, communist and other cannibalist dictatorships. This is the true meaning of his passionate defence of Iranian criminals.
Mar 23, 2008 - 7:19 am 10. Dark Helmet:The Persian people are not to blame, letting a leader down who we said we would stand up for puts the USA at fault. That falls squarely in the lap of jimmy carter. The UN is useless except for sending tents and rice.
Mar 23, 2008 - 11:36 am 11. Michael Lonie:I agree with those who say we ought to do something before the Pharaohs of Teheran get their nukes. I also admire the brave Iranian democracy proponents, and am continually disappointed that they have been able to make no progress in the several years that I’ve been observing their struggle from afar. It is very difficult to overthrow a modern authoritarian government, master of the instruments of repression.
However, the Mullahs are in power because the Iranian people put them in power and their consent, active or tacit, continues to let the Mullahs retain power. Short of war there does not seem to be any way of unseating the Pharaohs of Teheran and their chosen face to the world, their sockpuppet Ahmedinejad, or even of restraining their ferocity. There is no stomach in the US for trying to bring liberty to any more Muslims, not after the savage resistance to liberty put up by so many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the American people are sick of liberating Muslims from tyranny or trying to feed them when starving and getting only bullets, EFDs, and IEDs in return. No, there would be no American occupation and presence to help Iranians transition to democracy after almost 30 years of rule by the Pharaohs. But there is little probability that we will act to overthrow the Mullahs either.
Once the Pharaohs of Teheran get their nukes and start throwing them around, overtly or through terrorists, it will be too late. We will not be able to differentiate between those Iranians who favored the Pharaohs and those who opposed them when fighting a major war initiated by the Mullahs. The pro-Pharaoh and anti-Pharaoh Iranians will be fried together. If the democracy movement wants to succeed they had better overthrow their tormenters now, as soon as possible, or they will be doomed to suffer along with the fanatics and corrupt who serve the regime.
The Iranian people must take their fates into their own hands, and not wait for the USA to do something (and there is no one else who would or could do something). Either the Iranians will overthrow the Pharaohs or they will share the fate the Mullahs bring on themselves. Choose.
Mar 23, 2008 - 7:43 pm 12. Richard:Well said Micheal and even more sadly it is more likely to come to pass.
I wonder if it would not be worth it for the Iranian people to fight for their own freedoms even if it meant tens of thousands dying for that cause as opposed to dying in a mushroom cloud because they felt the could do nothing,,,,,
Mar 24, 2008 - 8:31 am 13. LSD:With his posture and polish, it always seemed he could be effective. Thanks Claudia, for explaining how.
Mar 25, 2008 - 10:40 am