World Opinion Roundup: Bolton the Unpopular

News and Views From Around the World

In his weekly discussion, washingtonpost.com staff writer Jefferson Morley conducts a freewheeling tour of the best of Internet news sites from Afghanistan to Beijing to Mexico City to Paris to Zimbabwe.

Today Morley discussed the negative international reaction to President Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

U.N. Choice Is Even More Unpopular than Wolfowitz (World Opinion Roundup, April 12)

Roundup brings the diversity of the global online media to your screen, presenting today's news and views from journalists, pundits and commentators from every continent. We'll talk about America in the eyes of the world, compare journalistic practices, analyze politics and perspectives, examine the nature of news and debate styles of journalism.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Jefferson Morley: Welcome everybody.

We will go straight to to the questions and save the chit chat.

If you would like to receive World Opinion Roundup via email, send message to jeff.morley@wpni.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Your address will not be shared.

And now for the discussion.

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Prague, Czech Republic: Shouldn't the U.N be more concerned with preventing child rape by their soldiers instead of who represents the United States?

Jefferson Morley: The U.N. is more concerned with the reports of sexual abuse in U.N. peacekeeping mission than with the question of who the U.S. representative will be. The U.N. has been struggling to deal with the issue since these reports first surfaced.

By contrast, the United Nations has said and done nothing about Bolton's nomination.

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Washington, D.C: Mr. Morley,

I wonder if you can tell me what the world opinion was for some of Clinton's appointees? I wasn't paying attention as much back then, and I wonder if my perception is skewed by distaste for the current state of affairs. Did Clinton's appointments stir such emotions and commentary?

Many thanks-I look forward to your chat every week!

Jefferson Morley: No, Clinton's appointees were not nearly controversial.

At the World Bank, many feared Clinton's choice James Wolfensohn was a socially climbing dilettante who didn't care about the Bank's mission. Wolfensohn confounded his critics by embracing the Banks critical/adversaries in the NGO community and taking seriously outside demands for accountability.

Wolfensohn was criticized for not having economic development experience, a charge also levelled at Bush's World Bank choice, Paul Wolfowitz.

Madeleine Albright and Bill Richardson, Clinton's reps at the U.N., were not controversial picks overseas. Bolton is far more controversial.

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Wheaton, Md.: Bolton should be commended for pointing out the U.N's corruption and incompetence. For some reason, when it comes to the U.N, people just don't want to acknowledge the truth. Bolton is exactly what the U.N needs if the organization is serious about reform.

Jefferson Morley: Thanks for you opinion Wheaton.

What John Bolton means by "U.N. reform" and what most U.N. supporters mean by "U.N. reform" are two very different things.

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Alexandria, Va.: Jeff-

Has any other president in recent history tried to appoint such staunchly right-wing people to international posts? I can't remember Bush Sr. and Reagan's choices but they seemed not to have had the same effect on international opinion.

Secondly, since I'm sure these candidates are thoroughly investigated prior to nomination, I think it's possible to see how this administration feels about the World Bank and U.N, even if they deny it.

Love your chats...

Jefferson Morley: The contrast between the first and second President Bush on the U.N. ambassador position, couldn't be sharper.

The first President Bush selected Tom Pickering, one of the most distinguished diplomats in the history of the U.S. foreign service. Self-effacing, efficient, and discreet, Pickering helped put together the international coalition that supported, funded and fought the first Gulf war.

The difference between Pickering and Bolton is very large.

President Reagan's U.N. ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick was controversial in her day. Like Bolton, Kirkpatrick suffered the occasional misstatement in the service of ideological crusade.

In 1981 Kirkpatrick said that Americans nuns raped and killed by the U.S.-backed military regime in El Salvador had run a roadblock--which was not true. Likewise, Bolton accused Cuba of developing biological weapons, a charge which could not be substantiated and was repudiated by Colin Powell's State Department.

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Washington, D.C: What do you think about the Iran-Contra ties that Negroponte has? Do you think any of these people's past will actually come to affect their future?

Jefferson Morley: As U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the early 1980s, Negroponte vigorously defended the Honduran military from charges that it had kidnapped, tortured and executed suspected leftists. These charges had merit. Honduran human rights groups documented 169 cases of people who were captured and executed by a U.S.-funded military unit known as Battalion 3-16. Negroponte, as ambassador, had to know about the funding and creation Battalion 3-16. He was certainly on good terms with the men who ran it.

I doubt the historical record here will hurt Negroponte's employability in the Bush administration.

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Arlington, Va.: How does the press in various foreign countries perceive their own ambassadors to the U.N? Is it considered a reward for someone to get that position?

Jefferson Morley: Naturally, ambassador to the United Nations is a prestigious job. But in most countries, the job of ambassador to the United States is more prestigious.

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Reston, Va.: So, since Congress seemingly has no ability to prevent this pick, what is the bottom line? What's the major worry of the world out there of this guy? How much damage can he do?

Jefferson Morley: The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations can do a lot of damage.

What Bolton's critics fear is that he will dismantle or downgrade U.N. offices and programs that are effective but not favored by the Bush administration.

One example is the International Atomic Energy Administration. Bolton has been seeking to force out the current head of IAEA, Mohamed El-Baradei, reportedly because he is thought to be "soft" on Iranian nuclear ambitions.

The IAEA heard this sort of criticism before the invasion of Iraq. The IAEA inspection regime was letting Saddam Hussein get away with hiding a nuclear program. Since U.S.-led forces never found Iraqi WMD, the IAEA feels vindicated.

Bolton has a different view.

If Bolton were too mistakenly overinflate the threat of Iranian WMD the way Bush administration officials mistakenly assessed Saddam's WMD, then we might have another way to eliminate a non-existent threat.

I oversimplify only slightly to make the point that a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations can make a difference--and do damage.

ight Bolton be hyping the danger of Iranian WMD for the sake of forcing

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Washington, D.C: News reports last night suggested Lincoln Chafee would only vote to block Bolton if bombshells came out in today's hearing. Is the testimony (by a "loyal Republican, a conservative and a strong supporter of" Bush and Cheney) of harrassment over calling out specious WMD accusations enough of a controversy?

Jefferson Morley: I don't think so.

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Washington, D.C.: What is the possibility, if any, that Bolton will not be approved as ambassador to the U.N?

Jefferson Morley: Pretty small I think.

Even if Chafee were to come out against him, I think he would be confirmed.

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Brookline, Mass.: Why bother with all this?
If the White house wants the guy confirmed, he'll be confirmed.

There isn't a Republican member of Congress who dares to go after one of the neocons. Every decision (Schiavo, Social Security, oil drilling)made by the White House and Congressional majority is evaluated by its utility in fundraising for the many organizations that raise money against the "evil liberals who hate America."

Let's not kid ourselves (or the rest of the world) that these guys care about the institutions they serve. They look only to a bigger payday.

Jefferson Morley: Well, the Congress's constitutional role is to provide "advice and consent" on presidential appointees.

That's why people are bothering. Because if there isn't a clash of opinions, the voting public has no way to assess the president's personnel choices.

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McLean, Va.: Yesterday, watching John Bolton on C-SPAN, it seemed to me he is something of a sleaze. For example, he admitted to having pushed to remove at least two analysts from their jobs.

Bolton's motive seems to be that he was angry when the analysts identified lines in his speech that were not in synch with the intelligence. The supervisor of one analyst defended him by saying he was very good and did not deserve to be fired.

So, Bolton tends to be a person who energetically promotes positions without basis. This is not only stupid, it's dangerous.

Jefferson Morley: I think this is the biggest question about Bolton.

Is he capable of listening to opposing points of view?

Its a quality that is necessary in democratic politics but can be a handicap in the bureaucratic politics where Bolton has quietly excelled.

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Fairfax, Va.: Al-Jazeera, (Aljazeera.Net, April 12, 2005)
Al-Jazeera had this article on American deserters in Iraq (5500)and their disenchantment. I have not seen any coverage on this in any U.S papers or on their Web sites. Why hasn't this been covered?

Jefferson Morley: This story has been getting some coverage: 60 Minutes did a version of it; so did the Louisville Courier-Journal (with an AP story).

I think that the Army's statistic of 5,500 deserters makes this a good and big story. If 5,500 returning veterans signed a pro-war petition that would be a big story, no?

One reason why the story hasn't gotten more coverage is because no one in official Washington (in the White House, the Congress or the lobbying/advocacy community) is making a big deal out of it. Without such interest, the story of U.S. deserters will receive marginal coverage in the MSM.

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washingtonpost.com: Soldier disappeared after return from Iraq (The Courier Journal, April 5, 2005)

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washingtonpost.com: U.S Army Deserter in Canada( 60 Minutes, March 30)

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Chicago, Ill.: Hi Mr. Morley and thank you for your work. A outside-the
beltway question: Why did the last U.N. ambassador, John
Danforth, leave the position?

Thanks.

Jefferson Morley: Danforth said he wanted to, yes, you guessed it, "spend more time with his family."

The history of this phrase in resignation letters is as long as it is duplicitous.

Danforth, a devout Episcopalian with a reputation for decency that survived years of service to the Bush administration, is one of the few people who might have been telling the truth.

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Arlington, Va.: Is there any likelihood that individual U.N peacekeepers who are implicated in sex crimes in the course of refugee operations will be tried by the International Criminal Court?

Jefferson Morley: Its not very likely.

The ICC has complementary jurisdiction with national legal systems. If the national legal systems are unwilling or unable to pursue charges, then the matter could theoretically be referred to the ICC.

The purpose of the ICC is to establish accountability for the most serious crimes of international concern : genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The sexual crimes associated with U.N peacekeeping missions, while serious, do not rise to this level. I'm sure the ICC would prefer such cases be handled by local courts.

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Washington, D.C: 5500 deserters sounds high, but we don't know how many deserters there are in an ordinary year. It's reasonable to assume that desertions have gone up since the war, but it may be that this hasn't been that big a story because it's not that big a change from prior years.

Jefferson Morley: Fair point.

I have not yet seen a statistic on pre-Iraq invasion desertion figures.

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Bethesda, Md.: Watching the hearings yesterday I was really surprised at how disinterested and even fawning the Republicans were over John Bolton. Can't the Republicans at least admit that there may be something wrong with Bolton as the U.N Ambassador?

On the other hand the Democrats have turned this into too much of a partisan game rather than focusing on Bolton's qualifications for the position. They asked some tough questions but could they please cut out the long winded speeches and simply ask tough questions?

Jefferson Morley: I think the answers to your questions are, No and no.

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San Francisco, Calif.: Less of a question than a comment in question form, I suppose, but: Negroponte is up for Director of National Intelligence, not Pope. Is saintly behavior, or an unwillingness to engage in unsaintly behavior, really a qualification for or even a desirable attribute in a spymaster? In the condemnation of Negroponte's record in Honduras, there seems to be something of a disconnect between the repeated and very vocal calls for more effective and thorough intelligence and the fact that unsavory means might sometimes be required to gather that intelligence.

Jefferson Morley: "Saintly behavior" is not necessarily a desirable attribute in a spymaster. But in a democratic country, a degree of honesty and accountability are essential, if only for the long-term viability of intelligence gathering.

The CIA learned the hard way in the 1960s and 1970s that the expectation that dirty tricks that go beyond the bounds of the Agency's charter and public opinion can cost the intelligence community dearly in terms of credibility, legitimacy and funding.

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Tampa, FL: Could sending Bolton to the U.N backfire? I assume it will stiffen the resolve of nations opposed to the neocon agenda (e.g., France and Russia). But could it also antagonize our allies (e.g., the United Kingdom)? I worry Bolton could just make it harder for the United Kingdom and others to support us. Would Blair find it necessary to play to his domestic opinion and support El Baradei?

Also, I've read sending Wolfowitz to the World Bank and Bolton to the U.N really represents W ousting them over Iraqi oil. The report I heard said the neocons want to use Iraqi oil to break OPEC, but W sided with the oil companies and ended the matter by exiling two of the strongest proponents of breaking OPEC. Any thoughts?

Jefferson Morley: I don't think the administration will regard Bolton's unpopularity at the United Nations as a sign of "backfire." Quite the contrary.

This line that Bolton and Wolfowitz have been exiled from positions of real power has been bouncing around the European paper all spring.

I don't buy it. Wolfowitz, it is true, was probably too controversial for a Secretary of Defense, especially among the uniformed services. Bolton didn't get a top job at State. But the jobs they did get are important posts in institutions for which the administration has certain ambitions.

The argument that these appointments reflect OPEC politics is not borne out by any evidence that I have seen. I am willing to stand corrected.

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Washington, D.C: Your distaste for the current administration comes in loud and clear.

Jefferson Morley: Thanks for your input.

Pro-Bush comments are always welcome in this discussion.

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Washington, D. C.: Your reason for the Post and other major papers not reporting on the desertions because no one important has raised it seems to me to be a poor excuse others at the Post employ when asked about non-reporting. Who is your audience, after all?

Jefferson Morley: I agree with you that the American deserters story is a good one that the Post should pursue. Its certainly a story that would interest in our audience.

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Washington, D.C: I commend Carl Ford for speaking out. He truly is
is a man of terrific character, what do you know
about him?

Jefferson Morley: He is a career civil servant.

For such a man, used to working for president's of either party, to stake out a position in partisan political struggle, indicates how strong he feels about Bolton's actions. This goes beyond mere political differences.

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Jefferson Morley: Well, we've gone over our allotted hour and so we must wind up our discussion.

Thanks for the questions.

See you next week.

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