United Nations

20th Anniversary Of The Gulf War And Operation Desert Storm!

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It is hard to believe, but it is now 20 years since Operation Desert Storm, the six week Gulf War of the United Nations, President George HW Bush, and General Norman Schwarzkopf, dislodging Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

The war was justified, and thankfully, caused few casualties, with 148 deaths and 467 wounded, and about half a million Americans serving in the war, but many other nations participating as well.

This period of the first Bush Administration was a shining moment of leadership, and Bush rightfully has been commended for his courage and principle at this moment of history.

Since the war had limited purposes, criticism that Bush should have had US troops go to Baghdad is unfounded, but conservatives attacked him for keeping to the UN resolution, which Bush believed was inviolable.

Certainly, in the long run of history, George HW Bush will be best remembered for this moment, and plaudits go out to Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, and imagine this, even Dick Cheney, all of whom handled their responsibilities with perfection!

So this is a time to celebrate that war and thank those who sacrificed for America and the world at that point of history!

Tragic Passing Of Richard Holbrooke, Premier Diplomat And Peace Maker! :(

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The death last night of Richard Holbrooke, one of the greatest diplomats in American history, after the occurrence of an aortic tear while visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department last Friday, is a tremendous loss to American diplomacy. 🙁

A career diplomat since the late 1960s, Holbrooke worked on the problems of Vietnam, Bosnia, Cyprus, Afghanistan and Pakistan.   He was also Ambassador to Germany, and also was Ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton.

Holbrooke was often considered a potential Secretary of State, and many thought he should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for having negotiated the Dayton Accords in 1995, which brought peace to the Balkans and ended the Serbian war on Bosnia.

Also having prevented a war between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus in 1996, Holbrooke was known as a tough negotiator who would not let anyone intimidate him, and he was known for not suffering fools or villains, staring down Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.

It will not be easy to replace Holbrooke, so American diplomacy has suffered a major loss hard to measure!

The United Nations And The “Bike Riding Conspiracy”: Tea Party-GOP Lunacy In Colorado Governor’s Race! :(

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You would think that the Tea Party Movement has reached the high point of craziness, what with Rand Paul running for the Senate in Kentucky, and Sharron Angle running for the Senate in Nevada! But if you thought that was as loony as things could get, you have not heard of Dan Meas!

Dan Meas is competing for the GOP nomination for Governor in Colorado, and seems to be ahead of his opponent, Scott McInnis, a former Congressman who has been accused of plagiarism!

But Maes is a Tea Party favorite who claims that the Denver mayor, John Hickenlooper, who will be the Democratic nominee for Governor and is heavily favored, has been promoting bringing the city under United Nations control by promoting BIKERIDING! 🙁

This is also the state where Tom Tancredo, former Congressman and GOP Presidential candidate in 2008, and a loony nativist, is running as an Independent for Governor!

Under the circumstances, the Republican Party of Colorado is going off the deep end, with the best choice for them being to select the “plagiarist”, and hope that Tancredo flops on his face politically as an Independent!

So the Tea Party Movement further undermines the Republican Party, and makes them look more and more whacko, loony, and outside of the political mainstream! 🙁

Bill Clinton To Oversee Haiti Reconstruction: A Good Move By The UN!

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Former President Bill Clinton, already the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, has agreed to head the reconstruction effort in that earthquake ravaged nation.

Clinton will coordinate work of relief agencies and the activities of donors, investors, international activities, and non government organizations.

Bill Clinton may have his faults and shortcomings, but like Jimmy Carter, he has dedicated himself to doing good deeds around the world, and he should be applauded and commended for his willingness to make this major commitment of his time and labors to a nation which desperately needs the attention and focus of the international community.

A Good Week For Obama In Diplomacy

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This past week has been a challenge for President Obama in the diplomatic field, but on first flush, it seems like a good week.

He was able to get both the Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian President to meet for the first time in close to a year, although no progress was made.

He was able to chair a meeting at the United Nations, first President to do that, and gain backing of the world body for strong sanctions against any nation that breaks the nuclear non proliferation treaty, with Obama’s aim to lessen the threat of nuclear conflict in the future and cut down nuclear weapons in all nations that have them. He also gave an excellent speech before the UN General Assembly.

Also, he was the center of the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, and publicly gained backing and support on a tough new stand toward Iran with the revelation of a secret nuclear facility, with the British and French leaders jointly making a public statement with him from the summit, and the Russian leader stating willingness to back the three nations in tough sanctions on Iran if the seven member talks this coming Thursday do not lead to Iranian cooperation.

The Russian leader Medvedev seems more willing to work with the US due to the decision of the Obama Administration to cancel the plans for a missile defense in the Czech Republic and Poland, something that may work out all around as a good measure to promote understanding and discourage the traditional mistrust between the two major rivals of the old Cold War.

Of course, no one can know so quickly whether the new image of the US and its improved reputation overseas and at the United Nations will actually work to our benefit in the long run. Many conservatives claim that Obama is selling our country down the river and undermining our defenses and security.

As always, events over time will show whether the new direction of diplomacy will succeed or fail. We can only hope it will be successful, as it would benefit this country in so many ways.

A Major Week In Diplomacy Coming Up!

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Diplomacy will take the front seat next week when President Obama not only goes to the United Nations, but also to the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh as the host of the conference, and also separate and then joint meetings with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The fact of so many meetings with foreign leaders so close together will mark this coming week as a crucial week in foreign policy, although it may take time to analyze the effect of these conferences and summits.

Barack Obama And The United Nations

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President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have set an ambitious agenda for next week’s annual Fall meeting of the United Nations in New York City.

The subjects of climate change, women’s rights, nuclear non-proliferation, and dealing with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are on the agenda, and Obama himself will address the first and third issues in presentations before the international body.

The strategy of the Obama Administration is to promote a close relationship with the UN, a body often ignored by the Bush Administration, so it is a very directly opposite approach, which it will be interesting to see if any progress is made on these crucial issues.

Again, who knows how it will all play out long term, but one must certainly realize that Obama and Clinton are taking major steps to transform our foreign policy view of the world, and our relationships with other nations around the world.