Rejecting diplomacy unwise
COMMENTARY
Josh McDonald

With the decision Monday morning to withdraw its joint U.N. Resolution, the American/British alliance seems ready to eschew diplomacy and pursue unilateral war with Iraq.

Many Americans would place blame on allies like France and Germany for opposing the U.S. stance, but the responsibility for diplomatic failure falls much closer to home. President Bush, who as recently as Sunday recognized the importance of the United Nations in waging modern wars, failed to win support for his cause and undermined U.S. prestige abroad.

As a result, the collateral damage in this war will affect not only the U.S., but the U.N. as well.

The Bush administration’s diplomatic miscues have been serious and significant. Not only has it failed to win the support of key U.N. Security Council votes, but it has also failed to win the support of key regional allies like Turkey.

While French-bashing and eating “freedom fries” may appeal to some, it was Bush who courted the United Nations while simultaneously pushing it away. Threatening to lead a “coalition of the willing” undermined the administration’s appeals for support, and it now appears that Bush himself — not U.N. allies — has made the organization into an irrelevant debate society.

Consequences for the United States are clear. Without additional support, the war itself will likely still be swift and the United States likely victorious. Post-war efforts, however, will be much more difficult. U.N. humanitarian organizations have already declared that without a second resolution, they will be unable to participate in the crucial rebuilding efforts. Thus, lacking international consensus, a humanitarian crisis looks unavoidable.

Burden sharing — the deferring of war costs from the United States to our allies — will also be impossible without international support. Given its failure in courting allied help, the Bush administration can no longer count on smooth nation-building in its attempt to remake the Middle East.

The more costly consequences of diplomatic failure, however, will be those incurred at the United Nations. As the first President Bush has noted, post–Cold War foreign policy presents the United States with a “new world order” in which the United Nations plays a crucial role. The current president, to his credit, recognizes this as well but has shown little ability in putting it to practice. Now, with the United States pressing for unilateral war in Iraq, the United Nations is without a part to play.

The inspectors, once empowered by a U.N. resolution, will soon come home, taking with them the air of legitimacy and the blessing of international law that comes only with U.N. authority. They will be replaced, it seems, by troops, tanks and bombs bearing the flag of the United States.

Josh McDonald is a senior English and philosophy major from Garland.