CIAO DATE: 10/07
The National Interest
UN, Rediscovered
Derek Chollet
Abstract
AFTER SIX years of tempestuous U.S.-UN relations, the next few months could prove a turning point. The proximate cause is the unusual confluence of four events: the ascension of a new UN secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon; the end of John Bolton’s stormy ambassadorship and the nomination of his skilled replacement, Zalmay Khalilzad; and the Democratic takeover in Congress. In many ways personnel is destiny, and the new faces could move the relationship from an era of bitterness, suspicion and isolation to one of sustained, positive engagement and realistic expectations.
But a larger, more impersonal reason also contributes. In Washington, there is a greater sense of sobriety about the limits of America’s power and influence to act alone—and more appreciation for strong, effective international institutions.
This moment occurs against a backdrop of dashed expectations. The end of the Cold War boosted hopes that a new system of global governance would rise. These aspirations rested not on new institutions but an old one—despite the fact that, through 45 years of dueling superpower vetoes, the UN had never effectively stewarded global security. Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait presented the first critical test, and President George H. W. Bush later reflected, “I was not yet sure what to expect from the UN.” But in less than six months the UN Security Council endorsed Kuwait’s liberation, and U.S.-led forces steered a broad coalition to a stunning military victory. Finally, it seemed, the UN could work as intended. President Bush, a proud former UN ambassador and genuine believer in the institution, talked of a “new world order.”