Trampling the Opinions of Humankind
John Burroughs
The Declaration of Independence refers to a “decent respect for the opinions of mankind.” A central setting now for the registering of the opinions of humankind is the UN General Assembly. Every year, the General Assembly adopts scores of resolutions on disarmament and security, calling for UN member states to negotiate treaties or take other actions on a wide range of matters. And every year for many years now, the United States has distinguished itself by opposing many of the resolutions.
During the Bush administration, that trend has accelerated, and it was especially marked in votes on December 6 as described in a UN press release. As Michael Spies comments in a piece entitled “Growing U.S. Isolation at the United Nations on Disarmament and Security,” on December 6 the United States cast the lone “no” vote on 12 of 54 resolutions, and opposed 26 of the 54. Among the resolutions where the United States stood alone in opposition were ones on control of small arms, promoting development through disarmament, and prevention of weaponization of outer space. (See table at end of “Growing U.S. Isolation”; see also First Committee Monitor.)
On nuclear weapons resolutions, the United States was in very poor company indeed. Only the United States and North Korea voted “no” on the resolution calling for bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into effect, reflecting the Bush administration opposition to ratification of the treaty following the Senate’s failure to approve it in 1999. Another example is the “Renewed Determination Towards the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons” resolution, as to which the only no votes came from the United States, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Virtually all governments supported the resolution, including close U.S. allies like Britain and Japan. It calls for holdout nations like the United States to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty, negotiation of a ban on production of plutonium and enriched uranium for weapons, a diminishing role of nuclear weapons in security policies, reduced operational status of nuclear forces, and verified and irreversible reductions of nuclear arsenals leading to elimination.
The General Assembly gets little attention in this country. The media and elites view it as a “talk shop,” as opposed to the Security Council, largely U.S. controlled, which can back up its edicts with sanctions and even military action. But activists and the public should become more informed about the General Assembly. It’s mostly true that it’s a “talk shop,” but it’s an important one: it’s where the opinions of the world’s nations are expressed, they’re usually opinions that should be acted upon, and they’re often consistent with the positions of Americans as shown by polling data.
December 12th, 2006 at 11:34 am
Local activists have a huge job to educate ourselves and our communities on the dangers of nuclear and other arms proliferation and to mobilize opposition to the negative role played by our Ambassador to the UN. With Bolton gone, there may be an opening for insisting on a more positive U.S. role at the UN.
December 14th, 2006 at 5:05 am
Right on Cecile. I surfed here via a link in www.h-o-m-e.org, which was contained in a brilliant booklet written by a local (Queensland, Australia) researcher: “Your Future with Depleted Uranium” by Pauline Rigby …see www.mindseeds.com.au
Right now Australia has the nuclear debate on top of the public agenda,as a response to climate crisis and a Federal election next year.. The Australian Uranium Mining and Nuclear Energy Review, commissioned by the Howrd Government recently, headed up by an American corporate head-banger called Ziggy, fresh from CEO-ing the privitisation of Telstra ustralia …has just reported that we could have 50 nuclear reactors by 2050. Australians are cautious, selling uranium to india and China is one thing, but…who is putting up their hand to have the first nuke thermal-electric station in their backyard?
Australia is experiencing the greatest drought since European colonisation - Al Gore’s roadshow and movie has made a huge impact… the Australian Labour party has (Dec 06) dumped its middle-of-the-road leader Beazley, and elected a dynamic progressive duo : Leader is now Kevin Rudd (a Progressive Christian/Anglican , intellectual, foreign policy wonk) and a single career politician, deputy leader Julia Gillard.
Peter Garrett, former lawyer and leader of the anti-nuke rock group Midnight Oil, who Rudd has appointed Shadow Environment Minister,could be - I hope - in Government this time next year, after October General Elections. The Times are A’Changing. Keep up the inspiring work to wind down this nuclear age, you guys in the Land of the Free.