The Pottery Barn Rule In Action
08/10/07 12:56
The United Nations Security Council today passed a
US-backed resolution updating the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). From CNN's article:
When I first read that I thought the UN was inexplicably coming to rescue the guy who declared the UN "irrelevant" from his self-created disaster in Iraq. So I bopped on over to the UN website for more details and found this from the resolution discussions a couple of days ago.
That's right. A unanimous resolution from the UN Security Council to expand their mission in Iraq results in maybe 30 more people in Iraq. And they will be talking head civilian advisors. No peacekeeping forces or security forces or troops of any kind.
Sadly, it looks like the rest of the world's message to this administration is pretty clear; you fucked it up, you fix it. The US and Iraq are both going to be paying the price of dubya's arrogance for a long time.
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said this "marks an important new phase in the U.N.'s role in Iraq."
The resolution, which passed 15-0, says the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq seeks to "foster regional dialogue" on matters such as "border security, energy and refugees." It will work with the Iraqi government to "resolve disputed internal boundaries" and will promote discussion on national reconciliation. It also will help plan a census.
When I first read that I thought the UN was inexplicably coming to rescue the guy who declared the UN "irrelevant" from his self-created disaster in Iraq. So I bopped on over to the UN website for more details and found this from the resolution discussions a couple of days ago.
“There was really quite a unanimous agreement in the Council itself on what the role of the UN should be,” Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said after briefing the 15-member body...
He stressed that physical security is a concern after the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad four years ago. Since then, international civilian UN staff in Iraq have been reduced to a maximum of 65, although many more UN personnel work from Amman in neighbouring Jordan.
He said that the number of UN staff in Baghdad could reach a maximum of 95 by October, but cautioned that security was a major concern, citing recent mortar and other attacks in the Green Zone in the city.
That's right. A unanimous resolution from the UN Security Council to expand their mission in Iraq results in maybe 30 more people in Iraq. And they will be talking head civilian advisors. No peacekeeping forces or security forces or troops of any kind.
Sadly, it looks like the rest of the world's message to this administration is pretty clear; you fucked it up, you fix it. The US and Iraq are both going to be paying the price of dubya's arrogance for a long time.
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