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Putting John Bolton Under a Spotlight: Bolton Watch Launches
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Bolton Watch is up! This section will always appear at TPM Cafe, but TWN will frequently link to what I and others are writing there.
However, today, I am reposting the first Bolton Watch post here.
It seems appropriate to launch Bolton Watch now as the United States holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member Security Council for February 2006.
The recess-appointed John Bolton chairs the UN Security Council this month and already has shaken up the system by demanding that all members of the Security Council attend a daily 10 a.m. morning meeting.
The other ambassadors are grumbling -- but all in all, Bolton Watch supports John Bolton's ploy here. It's good to have him engaged on a daily basis with the rest of the world.
While he may think these will be strong-arm sessions, Bolton and the Ambassadors from the other Security Council nations may find that these morning briefings focus their collective minds on serious global problem-solving. Bolton will be beaten up on a daily basis by these Ambassadors if he doesn't learn to ratchet up his diplomatic tact and objectives.
On another front the International Atomic Energy Agency has referred Iran's nuclear activities to the UN Security Council. Bolton was never put in the UN to genuinely reform the place, though reform is something that we should support -- he was put there to muscle the UN Security Council and the broader UN on Iran.
Ambassador Bolton is a pugnacious nationalist. There's nothing wrong with nationalism in my view -- but nationalism can exist side-by-side with respect and engagement in international institutions, particularly when those institutions protect and enhance our national interests and security.
But this kind of in-your-face, hyper-nationalism taunts the rest of the world to attempt to constrain American power and interests.
Bolton has stated in the past that he does not believe in "the concept of the United Nations", that the "UN only works when America wants it to work", that if one whacked off the top of the UN Secretariat, no one would miss it.
When he arrived at the UN, one of the first meetings he had with other Security Council principals had him stepping in and saying:
I'm John Bolton, and I'm here to pursue the interests of the United States.Those who are here to pursue the interests of the world, please yourself.
Bolton needs to learn that the interests of the United States are enhanced and strenthened -- not weakened -- by collective engagement with other global stakeholders in responding to the major pandemics, natural disasters, environmental challenges, and transnational security problems that face the world.
While a single nation, like the U.S., can approach some of these unilaterally, the bottom line is that nearly all of the great challenges require a convergence of American and global competencies and effort.
Bolton's theatrics undermine good will and are preempting credible reform. Not only has he been disruptive to the UN Secretariat, Bolton has undermined the negotiations of his own team at the U.S. Mission.
I've been flooded with new information on John Bolton and his work == some of it is small time, and some macro stuff that is pretty shocking.
As a friend of mine inside the State Department recently told me, I have a slew of friends inside the Department and in the nooks and crannies of Bolton's world who want Bolton Watch to play a constructive role in helping Condoleezza Rice to supervise him.
We are happy to oblige.
More soon, from both myself and a number of other new Bolton Watch bloggers.
-- Steve Clemons
« Previous Article - Bolton Watch Launches Tonight» Next Article - Al Franken's Thoughts on Bolton Watch -- Tomorrow (Monday)
Steve,
Congrats on the launch of Bolton Watch! I am evermore confident that over the next 12 months that BW will play a major role in ensuring that Bolton's actions will in the spotlight 24/7 and that he will be increasingly held to the scruntity that he and his position deserve.
Chris
Steve,
I am certainly glad you and Josh Marshall are giving Bolton this scrutiny. I do not share your hope, however, that this cretinous ideologue will blossom and grow to understand the importance of treating other countries as though they matter. We are five years into the Bush Administration and it should be clear that they act the way they want to act that no one should hold wistful hopes of change for this crew.
DanG
New here. Learning much.
Maybe the UN NEEDS John Bolton. Hell, reform is needed:
In the White House.
In Congress.
With electioneering.
Bote-counting.
Our education system.
Health Care.
Bolton seem hell-bent on reform.
Been a long while since I heard Autobindo at the opening session..
I will follow your excellent posts on this
with great interest.
The other ambassadors are grumbling -- but all in all, Bolton Watch supports John Bolton's ploy here. It's good to have him engaged on a daily basis with the rest of the world.
Actually, scheduling was and is one of the more sensitive issues surrounding the work of the UN. It's about how cultural and social norms collide.
When do you take breaks in international organisations? The continental Europeans like their long lunches. The Americans are sticklers for punctuality. The British like their teabreaks. And so on. A lot of this sounds like stereotyping, but it really does manifest itself in places like the UN.
When Bolton banged the gavel and got pissed off that no-one else was around, it was an extension of the sentiments in his opening remarks: he seems not to have realised where he's working.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted Saturday to report Iran to the UN Security Council with 27 signatures. So, now the Kabuki Theater begins. Does anyone recall the U. N. speech by Powell with Tenet and Negroponti sitting behind? Most all of it proven to be false. No Iraq / OBL connection, no mobile labs, no aluminum tubes, no yellow cake, and no WMD. Who will believe us now?
Well, I suppose there is one ray of hope. We could always rely on John Bolton’s diplomatic skills.
Josh at TPM Cafe (http://www.tpmcafe.com/ ) and Steve at The Washington Note (http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/ ) have created a Bolton watch.
Should be interesting.
Senator John McCain is on record rattling his saber.
http://winnipegsun.com/News/World/2006/02/05/1426593-sun.html
Iranian representative, Abbas Araghchi, responds.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/04/content_4135646.htm
Did anyone else see this email? The timing is perfect.
This is only part of it. The other funny thing, they didn't put the State Department domain in any of the image references, so none of the images display. Hmmm, I wonder if they need help?
U.S. State Department To Launch New Website Design
The Department of State is updating its main website at www.state.gov to improve usability and increase awareness of important news items.
The new design streamlines the number of content sections from nine to four: Issues and Press, Travel and Business, Youth and Education, and About the State Department. The redesigned homepage will feature the main news story of the day, along with other important news. The homepage also will provide easy access to information about Secretary Rice, multimedia resources, and interactive options for users to subscribe to state.gov content as well as quick links to key topics in each of the website sections.
This is a bit off topic, but seems appropriate for a post on Bolton.
I have a question that Steve could ask in private or any reporter could ask the top Democratic Congressmen. Remember the reason no Democrat spoke publicly of the NSA spying? Right.. they couldn't, under threat of jail.
So here it is: "Senator, are there any other matters on which you have been briefed that
you are not at liberty to speak of because you have been threatened with jail, as happened with the domestic spying briefings?"
If the answer is yes, then ask how many times and how many issues.
Marky -- brilliant idea. I think that the answer from Dem leadership would be yes, frequently. For instance, I believe that Dem leadership has already been given classified military briefings on military options on Iran. But they act as if they are in the dark. But I will give some thought about how to pose this in some constructive way.
Thanks....Steve
Steve,
Yes, the apparent cluelessness of the Dems made me think of this. Another follow-up is to find out if the Republicans are under the same restrictions. A safe question that would allow a Democrat to answer this is "Senator, do Republicans ever speak on matters which you have been told are classified and may not speak on?" or something similar.
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