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Jewish World Review Sept. 25, 2001 /8 Tishrei, 5762

Michael Ledeen

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Consumer Reports


No Room for the U.N.: Keeping Annan & co. out of the picture


http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- I ONCE took a particularly difficult philosophy course, in which the questions posed were so complicated, it was hard to know even where to begin to think. Fortunately, there was a student in the class who was always wrong, a kind of philosopher's stone in reverse, for which we were always most grateful. Whatever he said could be discarded, thus limiting the universe of correct answers.

So it is with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. He rules over one of the most corrupt bureaucracies in the world (it was once explained to me by a chief of state that he only sent to the U.N. people who would otherwise cause trouble at home), which regularly issues defamatory "reports" based largely on rumor (a dear friend of mine was recently slimed by one of these, which accused the poor man of diamond smuggling and money laundering), diverts substantial sums of money to despots, organizes international conferences to promote anti-Semitism, and takes advantage of American hospitality while opposing or sabotaging American policy with monotonous regularity.

We can all be grateful to the New York Times, once known as the newspaper of record, more recently as the newspaper of lament, for publishing Kofi Annan's plea to put him in charge of our war against terrorism on Friday. "This was an attack on all humanity," he tells us, "an all humanity has a stake in defeating the forces behind it."

Wrong on all counts. It was an attack against the United States, and much of humanity cheered it, and some of humanity has a stake in defeating us, because they support the forces behind it.

Wrong internally. If there are "forces behind it," then by definition "all humanity" cannot possibly want them destroyed.

He moves on. "The United Nations is uniquely positioned to advance this effort." Not hardly, since the U.N. sponsored the disgusting Durban conference, and Mr. Kofi Annan was out in front.

He tells us that our response to the terrorists must not "fracture the unity of Sept. 11," and then he gets to the real point:

...there are enemies common to all societies...they are not, are never, defined by religion or national descent. No people, no region and no religion should be targeted because of the unspeakable acts of individuals...Terrorism threatens every society...

In short, he's fronting for the terror states. We shouldn't target Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, or any of the others who have made possible the terror network. We should arrest the terrorists, and then, thanks to U.N. conventions on extradition, bring them to trial, leaving Saddam and the others free to recruit new killers. But Kofi Annan has "higher" callings: We have to eliminate the "conditions that permit the growth of such hatred...we must confront violence, bigotry and hatred even more resolutely. The United Nations' work must continue as we address the ills of conflict, ignorance, poverty and disease."

This is right out of the PC hymnal. You can't eliminate terrorism until and unless you address its "root causes." Coincidentally, this is precisely what the terrorists say.

Which, I suppose, is just one more bit of evidence for the unerring wrongheadedness of Mr. Kofi Annan, and we can thank our lucky stars that the president of the United States has yet to mention the U.N. in our antiterrorist war.

I hope somebody mentions this to the secretary of state.



JWR contributor Michael Ledeen is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of Tocqueville on American Character . Comment by clicking here.

Up

09/21/01: Creative destruction
09/14/01: Who Killed Barbara Olson?
08/22/01: How Israel will win this war
08/15/01: Bracing for war
08/09/01: More Dithering Democrats
08/02/01: Delirious Dems
07/31/01: Consulting a legendary counterspy about Chandra and Condit, cont'd
07/19/01: Be careful what you wish for
07/17/01: Consulting a legendary counterspy about Chandra and Condit
07/05/01: Let Slobo Go
05/30/01: Anybody out there afraid of the Republicans?
05/09/01: The bad guys to the rescue
05/07/01: Bye-bye, Blumenthal
04/20/01: Handling China
04/11/01: EXAM TIME!
04/05/01: Chinese over-water torture
03/27/01: Fighting AIDS in Africa is a losing proposition
03/14/01: Big Bird, Oscar, and other threats
03/09/01: Time for a good, old-fashioned purge
03/06/01: Powell’s great (mis)adventure
02/26/01: The Clinton Sopranos
02/20/01: Unity Schmoonity: Sharon is defying the will of the people
01/30/01: The Rest of the Rich Story
01/22/01: Ashcroft the Jew
01/11/01: A fitting close to the Clinton years
12/26/00: Continuing Clinton's shameful legacy
12/21/00: Clinton’s gift for Bush

© 2001, Michael Ledeen