It appears that President Bush is determined to make John Bolton our next ambassador to the United Nations.
Why?
Well, ever since the Soviet Union disintegrated, the UN and its enforcement agency – the Security Council – have more often than not thwarted what our neo-crazies wanted to do. The refusal of the Security Council to sanction the use of force against Iraq in 2003 was the last straw.
Shortly after Bush defied the Security Council and invaded Iraq anyway, he had Bolton establish the Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-controlled "coalition," willing to act – as in Iraq – even in defiance of the Security Council, the UN Charter, and international law generally.
According to Bolton, the PSI had to be established because “proliferators and those facilitating the procurement of deadly capabilities are circumventing existing laws, treaties, and controls against WMD proliferation.”
Here are excerpts from Bolton’s June 5, 2003, explication of the PSI’s necessity before the House International Relations Committee
"We aim ultimately not just to prevent the spread of WMD, but also to eliminate or ‘roll back’ such weapons from rogue states and terrorist groups that already possess them or are close to doing so. While we stress peaceful and diplomatic solutions to the proliferation threat, as President Bush has said repeatedly, we rule out no options..
"While we pursue diplomatic dialogue wherever possible, the United States and its allies must be willing to employ more robust techniques, such as (1) economic sanctions; (2) interdiction and seizure; and (3) as the case of Iraq demonstrates, preemptive military force where required.
"The hard lessons learned by Iraq must resonate with other proliferating countries. Those countries should heed that thwarting international obligations and standards – by seeking weapons of mass destruction – is not in their national interests and will not be tolerated by the international community.
"We now know that Iran is developing a uranium mine, a uranium conversion facility, a massive uranium enrichment facility designed to house tens of thousands of centrifuges, and a heavy-water production plant. This costly infrastructure would support the production of both highly enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons. While Iran claims that its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent, we are convinced it is otherwise.
"The danger that Iran poses with its clandestine nuclear weapons program is compounded by Iran’s pursuit of an advanced and self-sufficient chemical weapons infrastructure, its active quest for biological warfare capabilities, and its long-range ballistic missile program.
"Despite being a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), it is widely known that Iran has stockpiled blister, blood, and choking CW agents, and possesses the bombs and artillery shells to deliver them.
"It continues to seek chemicals, production technology, training, and expertise from Chinese entities that could further Tehran’s efforts at achieving an indigenous capability to produce nerve agents, which Iran previously has manufactured.
"The United States also believes that Iran probably has produced BW agents and likely maintains an offensive BW program, in violation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC), to which it is party.
"Foreign dual-use biotechnical materials, equipment, and expertise – primarily, but not exclusively, from Russia – continue to feature prominently in Iran’s procurement efforts.
"Furthermore, ballistic missile-related cooperation from entities in the former Soviet Union, North Korea, and China over the years has helped Iran move toward its goal of becoming self-sufficient in the production of ballistic missiles."
Well, there you have it. Bolton had decided two years ago that Iran had willfully violated – with impunity – the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the CWC, and the BWC. Worse, China, Russia, and North Korea had facilitated those violations.
What to do? Well, that’s where the PSI comes in.
"Vigorous implementation of our sanctions policy is a key part of our Iran nonproliferation effort. We have sanctioned entities in China and Moldova for assistance to the Iranian missile program, as well as entities in Iran itself.
"We cannot let Iran, a leading sponsor of international terrorism, acquire the most destructive weapons and the means to deliver them to Europe, most of central Asia, and the Middle East – or further."
So when Bolton becomes our next UN ambassador, look for him to demand that the Security Council apply “robust techniques” – including (1) economic sanctions; (2) interdiction and seizure; and (3) preemptive military force – to “proliferators” (such as Iran) and to those “facilitating the procurement of deadly capabilities” (such as Russia and China).
And if the Security Council rejects Bolton’s demands?
Stay tuned.
