08 Democratic Presidential Candidate slams Bush...

[OrangeEmpire]

Annan chides U.S. in farewell speech - CNN.com

Throughout the address, given at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library, Annan invoked America's 33rd president to tell the United States, and implicitly its 43rd president, George W. Bush, how he thought they ought to behave.
"As [Harry] Truman said, 'We must, once and for all, prove by our acts conclusively that right has might.' That's why this country has historically been in the vanguard of the global human rights movement," Annan said. (Watch Annan's relationship with the U.S. turn from friendly to frosty)
"But that lead can only be maintained if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism. When it appears to abandon its own ideas and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused."

 

[OrangeSquare]

08 Presidential Candidate...... Did I miss something?

 

[allvol123]

I guess he would not have had anything to talk about if he had focused on what he accomplished as SG of The UN.

 

[volinbham]

I guess he would not have had anything to talk about if he had focused on what he accomplished as SG of The UN.

An impressive list:

1) Genocide in Darfur while the UN looks the other way
2) Endless abuses/rapes by UN personnel
3) Oil for Food
4) Inaction on Korea and Iran

Fill in your own favorites!

To paraphrase Annan himself: But that lead can only be maintained if the UN remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against human rights violations. When it appears to abandon its own ideas and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused.

 

[allvol123]

An impressive list:

1) Genocide in Darfur while the UN looks the other way
2) Endless abuses/rapes by UN personnel
3) Oil for Food
4) Inaction on Korea and Iran

Fill in your own favorites!

To paraphrase Annan himself: But that lead can only be maintained if the UN remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against human rights violations. When it appears to abandon its own ideas and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused.

Also, this speech made on the same day Iran opened it's conference on discussing whether or not the holocaust happened. Doubt Mr. Annan mentioned that while thinking it was his job to instruct the US on how to behave.

 

[MG1968]

An impressive list:

1) Genocide in Darfur while the UN looks the other way
2) Endless abuses/rapes by UN personnel
3) Oil for Food
4) Inaction on Korea and Iran

and let's not forget the genocide in Rwanda that occurred while Kofi was in charge of UN "Peacekeeping" operations.

Slobodan Milosivic dying while in UN custody. I'm not pointing to a conspiracy here, but Slobo was able to obstruct and obfuscate up until the day he died.

 

[CSpindizzy]

Last time I checked the UN charter the SG had little power and was more a figurehead and a mediator than anything. So blaming Annan for all of those items shows little knowledge of what the SG's powers are.

Everything that seems to be blamed on Kofi can be blamed on a long list of others as well. US companies under the noses of the US government were involved in the Oil for Food Scandal. Darfur? What did the US do? A large amount of Christians get butchered and the big Christian nation of the US sat back and watched. While certain groups decried gay marriage, Christians were being hacked, raped, etc.

As for inaction on N. Korea and Iran, I'd say look at what we the US have done. We have more influence in that body than Kofi Annan so if Kofi gets blame, pile on a little extra for Bush and Bolton.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

Come on Cspin, scapegoats are a nice thing to have.

 

[MG1968]

Last time I checked the UN charter the SG had little power and was more a figurehead and a mediator than anything. So blaming Annan for all of those items shows little knowledge of what the SG's powers are.

Captain of the ship is responsible for the actions of his crew. Enron, Global Crossing, and WorldCom had nothing to do with Bush, yet since their collapse occurred during Bush's Presidency folks like you will find a way to blame him.

really, cspin, acting as an apologist for Annan is beneath you. The SG is the public face of the UN, and he holds a lot of power for a figurehead.

as far as the US goes, what can we do? If we circumvent the UN we get criticized and the flag and presidential effigies are burned in the streets of various banana republics. If we use the UN, we a) get mired in it's endless layers of commissions and bureaucracy b)get a resolution that's so watered down it's impossible to enforce effectively.

 

[volinbham]

The Secretary General's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organizing international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives. Key Secretariat offices in this area include the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his or her opinion, may threaten international peace and security.

from the old Wiki.

 

[CSpindizzy]

Hey BHam....it's better to go to the source. Try the UN Charter. It works better than Wiki. And from what you put up here, it sounds more like a Wedding Planner position than what you've led on to.

 

[volinbham]

Hey BHam....it's better to go to the source. Try the UN Charter. It works better than Wiki. And from what you put up here, it sounds more like a Wedding Planner position than what you've led on to.

The duties carried out by the Secretariat are as varied as the problems dealt with by the United Nations. These range from administering peacekeeping operations to mediating international disputes, from surveying economic and social trends and problems to preparing studies on human rights and sustainable development.

Comes straight from the UN website - under the section describing the Secretary General. Of particular interest are the duties to "administer peacekeeping operations" and "mediating international disputes".

 

[jwells]

SO, why is this labelled "08 Democratic Presidential Candidate"??? I was not aware that Kofi Annan was born in the United States and was a U.S. Citizen...

 

[OrangeEmpire]

People, it was sarcasm................