Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mark Malloch Brown, yesterday delivered remarkably candid remarks before a conference sponsored by our two organizations in which he called for greater U.S. leadership in strengthening the United Nations – leadership which is clearly lacking. United State’s Ambassador John Bolton responded calling the comment “a criticism of the American people, not the American government, by an international civil servant.” Obviously Mr. Bolton missed the legitimate concerns raised by Mr. Malloch-Brown and confused Rush Limbaugh and Fox News as representative for all Americans.
The unfortunate truth is that there has been a complete absence of constructive leadership by this administration in supporting and guiding the premier multilateral institution the United States helped create in order achieve greater international peace and security. By doing such things as holding the United Nations hostage by withholding U.S. dues, by not participating in the recently created U.N. Human Rights Council, and by generally undermining multilateral processes, this administration has effectively weakened an institution that can help achieve U.S. national security goals.
Thoughtful and objective readers will agree that Mr. Malloch Brown’s remarks do not merit the undiplomatic hyperbole typical of our nation’s current representative to the United Nations; indeed, John Bolton sadly proves Mr. Malloch Brown’s point.