[Mb-civic] Kerry Can Win the Allies Bush Lost

[Michael Butler]

    Kerry Can Win the Allies Bush Lost
    By Scott Galindez
    t r u t h o u t | Perspective

     Tuesday 05 October 2004

     From day one in office, the Bush Administration has alienated many
allies. Not ratifying the Kyoto treaty, walking away from the ABM Treaty,
and not joining the International Criminal Court are just a few examples.

     To get support from Congress for the Iraq war resolution, the
Administration promised to go to the UN and seek a diplomatic solution. The
problem is they never took the process seriously - instead choosing to go
through the motions without respecting the process, or the opinions of most
of the Security Council.

     Iraq was given 30 days to report to the Security Council, disclosing
their WMD programs. They turned over thousands of documents and declared
that they had no WMD. The Bush Administration immediately declared that Iraq
was lying and in violation of UN Resolutions. They now admit that Iraq
probably didn't have any WMD, so Iraq probably was in compliance.

     UN weapons inspectors requested more time, and many countries on the
council agreed that another resolution and more time was warranted. Instead,
the U.S. and Great Britain decided to ignore their traditional allies and
launch an illegal war on Iraq.

     The biggest mistake was yet to come. After Saddam fell, it was
announced that the spoils of the war would go to those countries who had
participated in the war. France, Germany, Russia and others need not apply
for reconstruction contracts. Then, as the situation worsened, the
Administration went begging for help from NATO and other allies that they
had ignored a few months earlier.

     It is no surprise that these countries are not assisting in Iraq. Why
should they assist an Administration that showed no respect for them?  John
Kerry can go to the UN and NATO with a clean slate and win the support that
George Bush has lost.

     After 9/11 the World was united behind the "War on Terror." The Bush
Administration's rush to war in Iraq squandered that unity. Only a fresh
start with a new President can improve our relations with world community.

     John Kerry's campaign is sending signals to the diplomatic community
that he is prepared to unite the world again, and not choose to divide
countries into divisive coalitions like Bush's "coalition of the willing."
If Kerry makes the following gestures, he can win more support in Iraq from
countries Bush has alienated:
    €      Ratify the Kyoto Protocol
    €      Join the International Criminal Court
    €      Honor the ABM Treaty
    €      Honor the Geneva Convention
    €      Open up a fair bidding process for reconstruction contracts to
all countries
    €      Allow the United Nations to manage the reconstruction.

    The above gestures, coupled with an International Conference, can
provide the framework for a solution to the mess that George Bush has
created but cannot clean up. George Bush cannot get our troops out of Iraq.
John Kerry can.

  

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