Tag: United Nations

Closing Thought–04Jan19

The Trump foreign policy has shown me just how disgusting and juvenile it actually has become.

We know that there is no love lost by Trump for the UN or education or culture or science (most of all)…….and now Israel making like the spoiled teenager they are have decided to quit UNESCO……

The US and Israel officially quit the UN’s educational, scientific, and cultural agency at the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias, the AP reports. The withdrawal is mainly procedural yet serves a new blow to UNESCO, co-founded by the US after World War II to foster peace. The Trump administration filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed suit. The Paris-based organization has been denounced by its critics as a crucible for anti-Israel bias: blasted for criticizing Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites, and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.

The US has demanded “fundamental reform” in the agency that is best known for its World Heritage program to protect cultural sites and traditions. UNESCO also works to improve education for girls, promote understanding of the Holocaust’s horrors, and to defend media freedom. The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially, since it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the US stopped paying dues after Palestine was voted in as a member state. Since then officials estimate that the US—which accounted for around 22% of the total budget—has accrued $600 million in unpaid dues, which was one of the reasons for President Trump’s decision to withdraw. Israel owes an estimated $10 million.

Why would the US want to promote education, culture and science?  (This a rhetorical question) ….we know why Trump does not……stupid is as stupid does……(a famous quote)….

Typical of Israel….they call anything that will not kiss their ass as antisemitic…..and the US did what it always does….what Israel tells it to do….like the good lap dog we are.

FYI……educational….not something Trump would promote…but I will…..the dislike of Israeli policies does NOT mean I hate Jews….to the contrary……

The UN–Should We Go Or Should We Stay?

The Clash is blasting in the background…..

The United Nations has been a source of ridicule for Neocons for decades.

The Trump Administration has been pulling out of the major functions of the United Nations since they came to power….plus there are several functions that we have never signed up for in the past.

FYI, Politico has a slide show of all the treaties the US has not signed…..

https://www.politico.com/gallery/10-treaties-the-us-hasnt-ratified

I bring this up at this time because of something that the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has said……

As Nikki Haley finishes her tenure this month, the woman who has spent the last two years representing the U.S. at the United Nations has a question for the American public: Should the U.S. remain a member?

“The American people need to decide if it’s worth it,” she said in an interview with a small group of journalists this week. There is a lot of waste and abuse at the UN, she said, and it is often “politically unfair” to the U.S. and its allies. That said, she also noted that the UN was the vehicle for imposing tough sanctions on North Korea and an arms embargo on South Sudan.

“There are rays of light,” she said. “But the verdict is still out.”

It’s easy to see where Haley is coming from — during her tenure, the UN has had to deal with scandals of the self-inflicted and political variety. It continues to suffer the repercussions of child sex abuse by UN peacekeepers. Meanwhile Russia’s veto at the Security Council, “one of the most frustrating things about the UN,” continues to protect Syria from facing accountability for chemical weapons attacks.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-21/nikki-haley-asks-should-the-u-s-stay-in-the-un

It is a great question.

The UN was a grand idea that the US did not take seriously out of ignorance and arrogance.

The whole idea of the Security Council with 5 permanent members that can veto anything put before it…..a stupid idea!

So I think we should consider our membership….either take the grand plan seriously or bow out and let the rest of the world get down to business.

What say you?

The Treaty of 1955

Closing Thought–17Dec18

Our Dear Leader and his minions are making goddamn sure that the US must stand alone against most of the world….the games they are playing internationally benefits no one but the M-IC….the latest game being played by the “God Squad”…….

Three years ago, as Americans debated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran—popularly known as “the Iran deal”—I highlighted a troubling media trend on FAIR.org (8/20/15): “For nearly all commentators, regardless of their position, war is the only alternative to that position.”

In the months since US President Donald Trump tore up the JCPOA agreement, his administration has been trying to make good on corporate media’s collective prediction. Last week, John Bolton (BBC, 9/26/18), Trump’s national security advisor and chief warmonger, told Iran’s leaders and the world that there would be “hell to pay” if they dare to “cross us.”

https://fair.org/home/trump-admin-follows-corporate-media-playbook-for-war-with-iran/

Keep in mind how many countries we have taken to deciding who could lead…Iran, Guatemala and Chile come quickly to mind….these countries were chosen because corporate America wanted them to change.

In response to a UN court order that the US lift sanctions on Iran, the Trump administration said Wednesday it was terminating a decades-old treaty affirming friendly relations between the two countries. The move is a largely symbolic gesture that highlights deteriorating relations between Washington and Tehran, the AP reports. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said withdrawing from the 1955 Treaty of Amity was long overdue and followed Iran “groundlessly” bringing a complaint with the International Court of Justice challenging US sanctions on the basis that they were a violation of the pact. Meanwhile, national security adviser John Bolton said the administration also was pulling out of an amendment to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that Iran or others, notably the Palestinians, could use to sue the US at The Hague-based tribunal. Bolton told reporters at the White House that the provision violates US sovereignty.

“The United States will not sit idly by as baseless politicized claims are brought against us,” Bolton said. He cited a case brought to the court by the “so-called state of Palestine” challenging the move of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as the main reason for withdrawing. Bolton, who last month unleashed a torrent of criticism against the International Criminal Court, noted that previous Republican administrations had pulled out of various international agreements and bodies over “politicized cases.” He said the administration would review all accords that might subject the US to prosecution by international courts or panels. Earlier, Pompeo denounced the Iranian case before the UN court as “meritless” and said the Treaty of Amity was meaningless and absurd. “The Iranians have been ignoring it for an awfully long time, we ought to have pulled out of it decades ago,” he told reporters at the State Department. Click for more on the little-known treaty and the UN ruling.

This is just yet another game being played by Trump’s Neocon butt boys….this will cost American lives in the long run.

But why?  For what purpose?

We had a treaty with Iran…Our Dear Leader decided he would drop out of it and then decided to push for a nuke treaty….

The United States is seeking to negotiate a treaty with Iran to include Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and regional activity, the US special envoy for Iran said on Wednesday, ahead of UN meetings in New York next week.

Iran has rejected US attempts to hold high-level talks since President Donald Trump tore up a nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers earlier this year.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listed a dozen demands in May that he said could make up a new agreement, although envoy Brian Hook’s reference to a treaty, which would have to be approved by the US Senate, appears to be a new focus.

https://theantimedia.com/washington-new-nuclear-deal-iran/

Seriously?  Iran will probably tell the US and Trumpy to go crap in one hand and wish in the other and see which fills first.

This is just another pathetic game being played by a pathetic leader.

This is what we get for an uninformed electorate that turn over foreign policy to warmongering toads.

A closing thought——

Americans are right to want more prudent, realistic foreign policy. Such a policy would not sacrifice U.S. blood and treasure on wars intended to spread democracy and reorder societies rather than focus on defending Americans. It would not attempt to impose an external military solution on the internal political problems of other nations. It would not burden America’s military with tasks for which it is not designed and to which it is not suited.

But not happening as long as we have this batch of neocon zombies in control…..

Let me reiterate……Corporate America calling the shots….some things never change…they called the shots in Guatemala and Iran in the 50’s and Chile in the 70’s…..and they are still making decisions that involve our troops that will face death in their behalf.  Time for that to change….permanently!

Another One Bites The Dust–Amb. Haley

Another Trump-ite takes it on the lamb…..this time it is another foreign policy person…Nikki Haley, UN ambassador…..she has tended her resignation…..

A surprise move in the Trump administration: Nikki Haley has resigned as ambassador to the UN, reports Axios. The reason why the former governor of South Carolina decided to step down wasn’t immediately clear. The AP confirms the development, reporting that she will meet with Trump shortly. The New York Times has some quick background, noting that Haley’s appointment to the post had been seen as an “olive branch” given her frequent criticism of Trump during the 2016 campaign. More recently, she wrote an op-ed saying that when she disagreed with Trump’s decisions, she never hesitated to confront him about it. The piece was her response to the anonymous author of an op-ed who criticized the White House from within.

I never thought she had the foreign policy chops to be the ambassador to the UN….she proved to be a true Neocon stooge in her words at the institution….

But could it be a news report that came out today?

From South Carolina’s The State…….

A Washington, D.C., watchdog group wants a federal investigation into U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s use of private planes owned by S.C. businessmen.

The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, says Haley undervalued the flights by tens of thousands of dollars on her annual financial disclosure form required of federal officials.

The ethics group says the flights create the impression of impermissible gifts to a public official. However, Haley said on her disclosure the men are all personal friends and, thus, exempt from federal rules about accepting flights on private planes.

Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article219714725.html#storylink=cpy

This also may be her best time to get away from Trump and his hateful attitudes….she is looking for a position bigger than the ambassador to the UN…..

It will be interesting to see who will get the next nod as ambassador to the UN.

The World Got A Chuckle

Yesterday was a great day for humorous news and the biggest laugh came with the speech of Our Dear Leader to the world at the UN.

President Trump was addressing the UN Tuesday morning, and he got an unexpected reaction from an early boast: laughter. “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump told the General Assembly, which prompted some audible snickering in the audience, reports Politico. Trump made light of it as he paused his speech. “Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK,” he said with a laugh, and that led to more laughter and applause. See this video captured by PBS.

The entire world sees what a goddamn liar this person is……and his visions of grandeur are getting funnier if not scarier.

But the world learn that the only way a nation can get help from the US is to meet Trump with knee pads and service him…….

Now for the rest of his babbling mess…..

President Trump addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, with his familiar “America First” theme taking prominence. “We reject the ideology of globalism,” the president told the world body. One of Trump’s early boasts drew unexpected laughter from the audience, though he laughed it off and went on to press his case. Here are some of Trump’s big lines, as rounded up by outlets including CNN, the Washington Post, USA Today, and NPR:

  • US independence: “The US will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, control, and domination,” Trump said. “I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs, and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live or work or worship. We only ask that you honor our sovereign rights in return.” Also: “We will not be governed by an international body that is unaccountable to our own citizens.”
  • Friends first: “Few give anything to us. That is why we are taking a hard look at US foreign assistance. … Moving forward we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and frankly our—our friends. And we expect other countries to pay their fair share for the cost of their defense.”
  • Iran: “Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death and destruction,” he said. “Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond.”
  • Familiar slogan: The only long-term solution on the global migration crisis is to “help people build brighter futures in their own countries—make their countries great again.”
  • Harsh words: “OPEC and OPEC nations are as usual ripping off the rest of the world, and I don’t like it. Nobody should like it,” he said. “We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good.”
  • North Korea: “With support from many countries here today we have engaged with North Korea to replace the specter of conflict with a bold and new push for peace,” said Trump. “I would like to thank Chairman Kim for his courage and for the steps he has taken.”

His BS on OPEC is just that bovine fecal matter……the biggest nation in OPEC is Saudi Arabia and this nation of barbarous religious zealots spreads chaos around the Middle East….why should we befriend this group of murderers?  BTW….the US gets very little oil from OPEC any longer we, the US, is now a oil exporting country as opposed to an importing country.  But Dear Leader would know that if he had half a brain.

The Iran statement is nothing but prep work that the US does at the UN before it invades a country.  (keep that in mind and remember Iraq of 2002/3)

All in all an amazingly worthless speech that did nothing but rehash most of his campaign talking points.

I listen so you do not have to…..you are welcome.  chuq

Saudis Throw A Hissy Fit

There has been report after report that the Saudis and the UAE have been ignoring civilians when ordering these attacks…….After 2 separate attacks and the deaths of 60+ children in Yemen the UN finally has issued a report on the action of the Saudis…..The report noted Saudi and UAE forces killed thousands of civilians in airstrikes, tortured detainees, raped civilians, and used child soldiers as young as eight. The two nations repeatedly hit residential areas and there is “little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimize civilian casualties.”

After the report was issued the Saudis threw one of their fits…..

the UN confirmed in considerable detail misdeeds by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, killing thousands of civilians in Yemen, raping and torturing detainees, and using child soldiers. The report warned these may amount to war crimes.

While they didn’t specifically dispute any of this, Saudi Arabia was predictably furious about the report, angrily condemning it as having “misconstrued the facts of the conflict… ignoring the true reasons for the conflict,” while saying that it was an Iranian coup against the “legitimate government in Yemen.”

(antiwar.com)

Not to worry….the Saudis will be protected by the US and the UK among others…..not to worry the Saudis have many “friends” on the Security Council so their position will be protected.

Many have asked just what does the US truly get for its undying support for the Saudis?

Ever since Franklin Roosevelt’s historic rendezvous in 1945 with Abd Aziz Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, American presidents have been enamored with Saudi kings.

But nothing in the 70 plus-year history of U.S.-Saudi ties comes close to the cosmic groveling that now defines President Donald Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and his slavish obeisance to its dangerous and irresponsible policies.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/29/trump-mbs-saudi-arabia-yemen-middle-east-foreign-policy-219617

Personally, I think it is time to end our undying support for the Saudis and their allies and demand a cessation of hostilities in Yemen….end the cycle of death for the people of Yemen…..

If the US were to follow the rules of warfare written into US military law and treaties to which the US is a party, the US must immediately end its support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. We should also marshal all of its diplomatic tools to end the conflict. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia, and allies such as the United Arab Emirates, have been waging a devastating war in support of the former government of Yemen against the current Houthi regime. Amnesty International has called the conflict a “forgotten war” because its deadly consequences have failed to rise to the level of international crisis in media or government agendas. However, under former President Barack Obama and now Donald Trump, the US has been complicit in war crimes and the creation of a completely preventable humanitarian nightmare for the people of Yemen

https://original.antiwar.com/Jared_Keyel/2018/08/30/no-more-forgotten-wars-end-us-support-for-saudi-coalition-war-crimes-in-yemen/

After writing this draft the Saudis have accepted they may have screwed the pooch on these attacks…..

The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen admitted on Saturday that “mistakes” had been made in an August air strike that hit a bus and killed 40 children, and pledged to hold accountable anyone who contributed to the error.

The rare concession follows mounting international pressure, including from allies, to do more to limit civilian casualties in a civil war that has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed the already impoverished country to the brink of famine, Reuters said.

(antimedia.com)

Do not believe it!  My guess is the PR group told them to take credit and the story would die…if they did not the backlash would be great and a story for all times.

In closing…..the US involvement in this conflict is not guilt free…..

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/08/yemen-us-blood-on-hands.html

A Broken International Order

After World War Two the nations of this planet got together and formed the United Nations with the purpose of eliminating the possibility of a Third World War….they tried to make it so the new UN would not suffer the fate of the old League of Nations after World War One…..in case you were unaware it was a failure…..and sadly the UN is traveling down that road as well.

The UN is on a losing streak because of one reason only…..the Security Council……a group where one country can veto any policy without retribution……. the veto clause that allows just one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to paralyse decision-making by the world’s only duly-constituted law enforcement body. China and Russia have employed the veto on numerous occasions to block UNSC action against Syria. ( The US is not innocent in this either….they use the veto to stop nations like Israel for answering for their actions against civilians)  Reflecting on Syria’s savage civil war Amnesty International rightly concluded six years ago that the Security Council is ‘tired, out of step and increasingly unfit for purpose’.

As long as I have mentioned Syria look at the inaction around the alleged CW attack and the response of the US and its allies…..

U.S., British and French forces bombed three chemical weapons facilities in Damascus in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces in Douma on 6–8 April that killed around 70 people.

Others will discuss the strategic context and consequences of the allied air strikes on Syria. As a student of UN-centric global governance, I want to make the larger ‘structural’ argument that—considered in its totality—the strikes reflect and will further contribute to a broken system of international order.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/04/16/syria_a_symptom_of_a_broken_international_order_113331.html

Syria is a prime example of how the to provide ……..order is dying a slow and painful death……and one reason is the Security Council and its failure to provide….security.

Then groups like the Institute for the Study of War thinks that these strikes will do some good…..I disagree…but if you would like to read their take on this…..

http://iswresearch.blogspot.com/2018/04/americas-interests-in-syria-beyond.html

The UN is broken because a handful of nations have veto power…..so to condemn the organization as ineffectual then you are blaming those nations with the power…..the US is one of those nations.

Closing Thought–24Apr18

I have never been a fan of Nikki Haley as the ambassador to the UN……I thought she was too amateurish to run any sort of foreign policy venue…..

It seems that Haley has broken with her boss, Donald Trump, over the newest round of sanctions against Russia…..or should I say the sanctions that Trump refuses to implant…..Haley was very verbal when a Trump advisers tried to imply that Haley was “confused”……aand she fired back…HARD!

Nikki Haley is at war with Donald Trump. She may be his ambassador to the United Nations, but she wants to set a foreign policy all her own, closer to the global interventionism of George W. Bush or Hillary Clinton than to the muscular but restrained foreign policy that Trump campaigned on in 2016. Her differences with the president were on stark display this week, as she first announced sanctions against Russia that Trump had not approved, then shot back at the new director of the national economic council, Larry Kudlow, when he offered a diplomatic interpretation of her mistake. Kudlow ascribed her off-message remarks to “some momentary confusion,” to which Haley responded, “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”

https://usa.spectator.co.uk/2018/04/the-war-party-is-ready-for-its-next-campaign-haley-2020/

I do not think she will have a chance in today’s GOP…..it is not what we could call….female friendly.

US Thugocracy

The recent vote in the UN on a non-binding resolution brought out the “THUG” in the Trump administration…..ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, made two speeches to the body of the UN and threatened the world with retaliation if the vote did not go in America’s favor…..but do not take my word for it….here are the two Nikki Haley speeches on one site……

https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-nikki-haleys-speech-at-un-security-council-debate-on-jerusalem/

Is that what the US has become?  An international thug that demands respect without giving it?  If things do not go our way then we let children starve is that what she was saying?

The disaster that is our diplomatic mission is making the world a more dangerous place.  And I see no relief headed our way.  Reenacting a scene from “Godfather” is not a way to a successful foreign policy.

Threatening nations that we will need in the future in our situation with North Korea or Iran or any other emergency that may arise is not the way forward.

Bullies Of A Feather Play Together

I see that our clueless ambassador to the UN has taken a page from the bullying manual written by her ruler, Trump.

Recently the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on the the situation of Jerusalem…..Amb. Haley has threatened the world…..

Consider it a not-so-veiled threat. The UN General Assembly votes Thursday on whether to reject President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and US Ambassador Nikki Haley is warning that the US will be paying very close attention. “When we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us,” she tweeted. “On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.” In a letter circulated to other countries, Haley reiterates the point, reports the Guardian. “As you consider your vote, I encourage you to know the president and the US take this vote personally,” she writes, adding that she’ll be reporting back to Trump on the nay votes.

It’s unclear whether the US pressure will work. When the Security Council voted on a similar measure Monday, the other 14 members of the council voted against the US. However, because the US has veto power on the council, the measure failed anyway. No such vetoes are in play during the General Assembly vote, which is being held at the request of Arab and Muslim states, reports the BBC. A draft of the non-binding resolution asks the General Assembly to declare the American move “null and void,” and Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour predicts victory: “The General Assembly will say, without the fear of the veto, that the international community is refusing to accept the unilateral position of the United States.”

The American Conservative has touched on this attempt at a Trumpian bully……

Haley’s petty, threatening remarks compound the embarrassment of the U.S. veto she cast earlier this week. Having lost the Security Council vote 14-1, an effective diplomat would at least be seeking to conciliate and appeal to governments that might be willing to abstain instead of voting against the U.S. position. A smart one would be recommending that the president rethink his position. Instead, Haley directly challenges every member of the U.N. and makes an implicit threat that they will pay a penalty if they don’t vote as the U.S. wants. That will make it very easy for Haley to keep track of the names of all governments that vote against the administration’s position, since it will be almost every single member state.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/haleys-petty-threats-at-the-u-n/

This person, Haley, is a clueless diplomat, if you can use that term to describe her, this arrogance will do NOTHING but make her look foolish and a dumb-ass like her employer.

If she makes good on these threats then she will open the door for China and Russia to step into the void where the US use to occupy to gain more influence around the world.

None of this will “Make America Great Again”…another promise broke but who’s counting?