Nice idea, Gail, but I don't think that the Security Council really matters much any more except in terms of giving us some insights into the current great game. It is most unlikely that it will ever again provide a forum for collective action, if it ever did that. I don't really understand the game, but I do believe it has a lot to do with America expanding and consolidating its powers globally, and other major players - France, Russia, Germany and China in particular - attempting to counteract it because it threatens their own visions of the future. If the countries of eastern Europe and Japan appear to be supporting the Americans, you can bet they are thinking of their own interests, not those of Iraqi women and children or the tyrant Saddam.
All one can hope for in all of this is some kind of prolonged stalemate - sort of a political cold war in which there is continuous jockeying but no real conflagration. And it's not about testosterone. The globalized and now multi-polar world has become a very tight place with little room to maneuver. There's no free space left, and the major European powers rightly sense that America's ascendancy is their decline. Ed Weick ----- Original Message ----- From: "G. Stewart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 7:45 AM Subject: Re: It's the testosterone (was Re: [Futurework] Powerful stuff! > Keith, > > What a nice set-up you've provided for a gentle proposal by > a woman! Thanks! > > Gail > > You wrote: > > From: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 2:00 AM > Subject: It's the testosterone (was Re: [Futurework] > Powerful stuff! > > > It's the testosterone that's doing it! At this stage of > the war, all sorts > > of otherwise reasonable male politicians (as well as the > male editor and > > mainly male staff of the Economist) are becoming turned on > and turning into > > rabid supporters. > > > > ... > > > > Shame on them for forsaking their rationality. > > > Here's the proposal: > March 16, 2003 > > ________________ > > The time has come for the Security Council to do something > bold... > > Article 1, Chapter 1 of the UN Charter states that the first > purpose of the United Nations is "to maintain international > peace and security, and to that end, to take effective > collective measures for the prevention and removal of > threats to the peace..." > > A member country of the United Nations -- Iraq under Saddam > Hussein -- possesses weapons of mass destruction and has not > disarmed as demanded by the UN Security Council. > > This behavior is destroying international peace and > undermining a general sense of security. Some member states, > in a "coalition of the willing," are threatening war against > Iraq in the absence of effective early action by the > Security Council. > > The Security Council is not simply empowered but is > obligated to "take action to maintain or restore > international peace and security." Member states of the UN > are committed, if asked, to contribute forces and resources > through negotiated agreements with the UN. > > Accepting its obligation and immediately calling upon member > states to contribute toward "effective collective measures," > the Security Council establishes itself as the responsible > enforcement agency in the situation, not just a forum. > > The initiative by the Security Council to mobilize its own > forces and resources changes the structure and character of > the discussion. > > In the process of negotiation between the Security Council > and those providing assistance (many nations, including the > "coalition of the willing" ), an early timetable for the > effective disarmament of Iraq, with only necessary use of > force, is established. > > An illegitimate "war" threatening international peace and > security is averted in favour of a legitimate "UN police > action" strengthening international peace and security. > > THE UNITED NATIONS. > A great idea. > A grand agreement. > The time has come to do something > bold > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
