Posted on 09/03/2006 12:01:20 PM PDT by knighthawk
Predictable news flash: European and Mediterranean governments are dragging their feet rather than sending troops to participate in the United Nations' peacekeeping effort in Lebanon, as called for in Security Council Resolution 1701.
Just how bad has it gotten? All eyes are now on Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who said he might commit up to 3,000 men to what is supposed to be a 15,000-man contingent - but only if other European nations send their fair share. That doesn't look likely.
France, living up to its reputation for courage under fire, first offered an embarrassing 200 soldiers. They have since been browbeaten into upping their contribution to 2,000 - still nowhere near the UN's needs. Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Germany are considering sending troops, but little is expected from any of them. India, which has 775 of its troops serving in the current UN force in Lebanon, is threatening to pull them out.
So, who's to blame? Surely, these governments themselves have earned no badges of bravery.
But there's a deeper problem: The UN resolution itself is inherently flawed. It's designed to keep the peace between Israel and Hezbollah - one a legitimate, democratically elected government and a member state of the United Nations, and the other a terrorist organization. The UN's failure for 40 years to even agree on a definition of terrorism, coupled with the institution's bias against Israel, makes ceasefires like this farcical.
Two years ago, another UN resolution called for the disarmament of Hezbollah. Today, the United Nations has stopped just short of giving the group complete legitimacy. UN actions have made Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, a hero on the Arab streets. Don't be fooled by Nasrallah's recent apology. He has gained a great deal from the recent conflict - and its resolution.
Sadly, our own government seems dragged down by the UN's defeatism. "I don't think there is an expectation that this \[United Nations\] force is going to physically disarm Hezbollah," Secretary of State Rice told USA Today. "You have to have a plan for the disarmament of a militia, and then the hope is that some people lay down their arms voluntarily," Rice continued.
This is what U.S. policy in the Middle East has come to: hoping that terrorists will voluntarily and unilaterally disarm themselves. That's one hell of a strategy.
Kilgannon is author of "Diplomatic Divorce: Why America Should End Its Love Affair With the United Nations."
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
I have been extremely unhappy with Rice concerning the entire Israel ordeal.
I wouldn't vote for her if she ran at this point.
This administration is dragged down by Democrats willingness to use the UN and "the will of the international Community" to browbeat Bush for partisan purposes.
There are no longer two sides. The IDF effectively destroyed the Hezbollah.
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