Mr. Personality
John Bolton's resignation from his post as Ambassador to the United Nations had to have provided some relief to the members of the US Senate. The President's renomination of Mr. Bolton was seen by Democrats as a signal that regardless of nice talk about bi-partisanship coming from the White House, it was going to be business as usual. The resignation had a similar effect at the U.N., according to the NY Times.
The announcement on Monday of John R. Bolton’s decision to step down was greeted by United Nations officials with relief, while diplomats from other nations offered mixed assessments of his effectiveness during his 17 months as the American envoy.
...Security Council ambassadors said they respected Mr. Bolton’s professionalism and command of the subject matter, and thought he had represented the Bush administration’s foreign policy goals well.
On the other hand, they said his manner, often described as abrupt, unyielding and confrontational, had alienated traditional American allies and undercut American influence.
Mr. Bolton's original nomination and then recess appointment was a pretty clear indication that this White House had about as much use for the United Nations as it did for traditional diplomacy. Given that, Mr. Bolton's presence made sense.
Now, however, with the Iraq Mess going so badly and the American public demanding that the mess get cleaned up and the soldiers brought home, the US is going to need some help from the very people John Bolton has been busy insulting and bullying for the past two years. Even this President had to realize that it was time for him to go. The problem is that it might be too late.
...Augustine P. Mahiga, the ambassador of Tanzania, also a Council member, said Mr. Bolton’s style, which he described as “abrasive and not very helpful to amenable consensus,” had deepened the divisions between the developing world and the great powers.
“He will be remembered, of course, for his principled stand on various issues,” Mr. Mahiga said, “but at the same time, he was the person who could have done it differently in order to minimize the negative perceptions of the positions of the United States.”
Just another mess to clean up. It will be interesting to see just who gets nominated for that difficult job.
The announcement on Monday of John R. Bolton’s decision to step down was greeted by United Nations officials with relief, while diplomats from other nations offered mixed assessments of his effectiveness during his 17 months as the American envoy.
...Security Council ambassadors said they respected Mr. Bolton’s professionalism and command of the subject matter, and thought he had represented the Bush administration’s foreign policy goals well.
On the other hand, they said his manner, often described as abrupt, unyielding and confrontational, had alienated traditional American allies and undercut American influence.
Mr. Bolton's original nomination and then recess appointment was a pretty clear indication that this White House had about as much use for the United Nations as it did for traditional diplomacy. Given that, Mr. Bolton's presence made sense.
Now, however, with the Iraq Mess going so badly and the American public demanding that the mess get cleaned up and the soldiers brought home, the US is going to need some help from the very people John Bolton has been busy insulting and bullying for the past two years. Even this President had to realize that it was time for him to go. The problem is that it might be too late.
...Augustine P. Mahiga, the ambassador of Tanzania, also a Council member, said Mr. Bolton’s style, which he described as “abrasive and not very helpful to amenable consensus,” had deepened the divisions between the developing world and the great powers.
“He will be remembered, of course, for his principled stand on various issues,” Mr. Mahiga said, “but at the same time, he was the person who could have done it differently in order to minimize the negative perceptions of the positions of the United States.”
Just another mess to clean up. It will be interesting to see just who gets nominated for that difficult job.
Labels: Bolton, United Nations
posted by Diane at 3:33 AM
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