As I wrote last summer, I was far less outraged than many who had opposed Bolton's appointment by his handling of the vast UN summit agenda when he arrived in New York in August. Quite simply, the draft he was presented was inconsistent with stated Bush Administration policy on a number of fronts. Only last weekend in Montreal, we saw a replay of a similar collision between a broad consensus among most developed countries over global warming and the Bush Administration's long-standing rejection of the Kyoto process. It wasn't a pretty sight, and the head of the US delegation in Montreal was none other than Paula Dobriansky, one of Steve Clemons' favorites to replace Bolton as the nominee for the UN position. So on some matters, it's clearly not the personality, it's the US policy that's the problem.
But Goldberg has lots more episodes of more recent vintage where Bolton is described as going against, or actively undermining, Rice's diplomatic efforts. Most notably re Syria. And there's lots of goodies about how Rice and Foggy Bottom are end-running the UN ambassador in order to strike deals with allies and friends. On the matter of the UN budget, which could really provoke a crisis if the US insists on not approving it by December 31, the scuttlebutt is that Bolton managed to get support from the Oval Office to overrule Rice. (See Suzanne Nossel and Morton Halperin at Democracy Arsenal.) It will be interesting to see how much intel Goldberg's managed to collect on that particular conflict.
As they say, stay tuned.
UPDATE: Mark Leon Goldberg's The Arsonist is now online. As usual, you can follow all the action along with Stygius.
To be fair, we should note that quarrels over the US paying its way in the UN, and the potential adverse impact on international peacekeeping efforts, is not purely a Bolton-manufactured problem. Lee Feinstein has just posted a report at America Abroad on several problems rearing their ugly heads in Congress, where the funding of international programs is low on the list of priorities in budget debates. The African Union's inadequate but essential force in Darfur would be one of the casualties. As for UN peacekeeping dues, Biden is trying to make sure that a gap of $25 million gets paid. But as Feinstein points out, it's not entirely a Congressional matter.
[I]f Congress gives the administration all the money for UN peacekeeping it has requested ($1.03 billion), there will still be a $500 million gap between what Congress has funded, and the UN bills coming due. The main reason: the administration in March pushed for authorization of the critical UN mission in Sudan (to enforce the north-south agreement), but hasn't yet figured out how the US will foot its share of the bill.
This sort of foot-dragging by the US on its commitments, which is not unusual behavior for either Republican or Democratic administrations, makes Bolton's grandstanding on the UN budget all that more difficult for our friends to swallow. But according to Goldberg, that may be one of Bolton's objectives.
“The UN is simply one of many competitors in the global marketplace for problem solutions and problem solvers,” he told reporter Mark Turner [from the FT]. “If it is not good at solving problems, Americans will look to some other institution; some other organization; some other framework.”
As if in a nod toward diplomacy, he added that he hoped that those who want a stronger UN would “see the logic of our argument.” But his remarks to another British reporter just one week prior were probably more to the point. After listening to a tirade from Bolton against inefficiency, corruption, and supposed anti-Americanism at the UN during a private dinner, a Sunday Telegraph reporter in the audience asked him what he enjoyed most about the UN, to which Bolton replied, “It’s a target-rich environment.”
Campaign for the FY07 International Affairs Budget - Act NOW
So now you're all steamed up again and revisiting the Bolton battles of last summer, don't just sit there fuming. Yes, there's not much to be done about Ambassador Bolton, at least for the next twelve months until his recess appointment expires. But there is an important step coming up to help address some of the funding problems. That's the Administration's FY07 International Affairs budget request.
Right now -- until this Friday -- "sign-on" letters are being circulated in the House and Senate to register Congressional support for an increased budget. The sponsors are Senators DeWine, Feinstein, Smith and Durbin and Representatives Leach and Berman. To date, they have 103 signatures, the majority Democrats.
A bipartisan organization of foreign policy heavyweights and American businesses and NGOs, US Global Leadership Campaign, is sponsoring a campaign for people to contact their legislators to encourage them to sign on.
Here's their "tool-kit" page with links to information about the International Affairs Budget, the Congressional "sign-on" letters, the "write your legislators" campaign, how to contact legislators on a "priority" list, and even a telephone "script" if you prefer voice over written contact. Just two more days for this round. And then the campaign will gear up again when it's time to debate and pass the budget for FY07. We'll keep you posted.
[cross-posted at American Footprints]
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