U.N. Insecurity Council
October 21 | Posted by mrossol | American Thought, Middle East, ObamaCan anyone imagine the press “feeding frenzy” if Pres. Bush had been “snubbed” like this by Saudi Arabia? Maybe Obama isn’t having enough “dialog”? Maybe he should send Michelle to Saudi Arabia to generate a little more good will?
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Membership in the United Nations Security Council is supposed to be like a Nobel Prize—no one ever turns it down. So when Saudi Arabia declined its invitation to join the Security Council as a two-year, non-permanent member on Friday, you could hear diplomats gasping around the globe. [ But you probably didn’t see it on the front page of any major news publication…]
The decision was even more shocking because of the way the Saudis explained their decision. They essentially said the U.N. body that is supposed to enforce international order has become an abettor of rogues and mass murder.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that the manner, the mechanisms of action and double standards existing in the Security Council prevent it from performing its duties and assuming its responsibilities towards preserving international peace and security as required,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in an October 18 statement, “leading to the continued disruption of peace and security, the expansion of the injustices against the peoples, the violation of rights and the spread of conflicts and wars around the world.”
Specifically, the Saudis mentioned the failure of the U.N. to settle the Palestinian conflict and rid the Middle East of nuclear weapons. But those are old stories. The proximate cause of Saudi anger is Russia’s decision, abetted by China, to veto any Security Council action against Syria.
“Allowing the ruling regime in Syria to kill and burn its people by the chemical weapons, while the world stands idly, without applying deterrent sanctions against Damascus regime, is also irrefutable evidence and proof of the inability of the Security Council to carry out its duties and responsibilities,” said the Saudi statement. Which is exactly right. [So why isn’t President Obama saying this? – Oh, that’s right, Obama bowed to the King, not the other way around.]
Like so many other events these days, the Saudi decision seems to have caught the U.S. by surprise. A day earlier, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power had issued a statement congratulating the Saudis and the other new non-permanent members, including Chad and Chile, on their election to the Security Council.
The Obama Administration continues to portray the U.N. as a moral arbiter and the linchpin of global security, which shows the continuing power of liberal illusions. After more than 100,000 Syrian deaths, the Saudis are unenthralled.
A version of this article appeared October 21, 2013, on page A18 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: U.N. Insecurity Council.
Review & Outlook: U.N. Insecurity Council – WSJ.com.
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