I guess I need to start writing more creative things than "This is a good Article" before these links, eh? Top This - The French-German Iraq con game. By William�Saletan But coupling the current inspection regime with preparations for war isn't a contradiction. It's a tautology. Our war preparations are the reason Saddam is cooperating with the inspectors.
In short, the alternative to which de Villepin unfavorably compares our prospective use of force is our current use of force. If that approach is working so well, the way to extend it is to send even more troops and armor to the Persian Gulf. Yet de Villepin neglects to include that element in the French proposal for further inspections. Indeed, he excludes it. "We would not accept a resolution that would lead to war," he declared after the council debate.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stressed a different point in his remarks to the council. "What is at stake now is the unity of the international community," said Fischer. Unilateral war should be avoided, he argued, because a multilateral solution would encourage further collective security arrangements and "strengthen the relevance of the United Nations."
Should the United States yield to the United Nations? The question makes no sense. The United States practically invented the United Nations. Franklin D. Roosevelt coined its name. The U.N. charter was drafted and debated here. We host the organization's headquarters and fund the lion's share of its budget. Other members are important, but the United Nations needs us a lot more than we need it. Fischer is asking us not to put our national interests ahead of an organization we built to advance our national interests.
In short, the alternative to which de Villepin unfavorably compares our prospective use of force is our current use of force. If that approach is working so well, the way to extend it is to send even more troops and armor to the Persian Gulf. Yet de Villepin neglects to include that element in the French proposal for further inspections. Indeed, he excludes it. "We would not accept a resolution that would lead to war," he declared after the council debate.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stressed a different point in his remarks to the council. "What is at stake now is the unity of the international community," said Fischer. Unilateral war should be avoided, he argued, because a multilateral solution would encourage further collective security arrangements and "strengthen the relevance of the United Nations."
Should the United States yield to the United Nations? The question makes no sense. The United States practically invented the United Nations. Franklin D. Roosevelt coined its name. The U.N. charter was drafted and debated here. We host the organization's headquarters and fund the lion's share of its budget. Other members are important, but the United Nations needs us a lot more than we need it. Fischer is asking us not to put our national interests ahead of an organization we built to advance our national interests.
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