President Bush got his way, bypassing the Senate and making a recess appointment of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. Predictable howls of protest followed from Democrats who think Bolton’s confrontational style is unsuitable to high-level diplomacy.
The best way to quiet such critics is for Bolton to follow this week’s sidestep maneuver with some positive steps forward at the U.N.
The recess appointment, good through the end of 2007, was within the president’s authority, just as Senate Democrats played by the rules when they blocked a vote on Bolton. The appointment has been made; looking back is pointless. It’s time to move ahead, and at the U.N., the need to do so is clear.
The institution is in dire need of reform. In recent years, the U.N. has devolved into a glorified debate team rife with corruption. It holds little clout in shaping world politics, stemming human rights abuses or providing efficient aid relief – all foundational goals. Bolton’s one-time description of the U.N. as irrelevant may not have been diplomatic, but it also wasn’t far-fetched.
Other problems cry out for fixes, as well. Countries like Sudan and Zimbabwe, under sanctions for extensive human rights abuses, sit on the Commission for Human Rights and judge other countries, contrary to common sense. The U.N.’s oil-for-food scandal underscored how open the U.N. bureaucracy is to corruption.
Along with an institutional overhaul, the U.N. administration needs to become more transparent and accountable. Bolton has the tools and knowledge to instigate such change. Legitimate concerns linger, however, over how Bolton will pursue reform.
Instead of making a gun-drawn entrance and demanding an immediate house cleaning, Bolton must find allies in the U.N. who will also support constructive change. Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed Bolton’s appointment on Monday, indicating that Bolton would likely aid reform efforts already under way. Annan was cautious with his words, however, adding that the new ambassador needs to work in a spirit of “give and take.”
Criticized for abusing subordinates and arrogant manipulation, Bolton now has a chance to prove that Democrats and other dissenters were wrong, and that he can actually work alongside international diplomats toward positive solutions. To make sure, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will need to keep close tabs on Bolton. The last thing the United States needs right now is to lose the support of current and potential allies in the war on terrorism and the increasingly difficult situation in Iraq.
The president found a way to get past his critics and put his man in place. If Bolton approaches the post as an opportunity to prod the U.N. back toward relevance, winning allies along the way, even the naysayers should wish him success.
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