It would seem the same old attitude is emerging amongst the leaders around the world. 1) They'd like to lecture us about how our efforts to wipe out terrorism must be humane and spare civilians. 2) They'll help us, but only if we line their corrupt pockets since they are totally inept at leading their countries effectively. All of this should be rejected by W. France has shown time and again that they are totally unwilling to seriously work at solving world problems. Chirac said he's wary of using the word "war". If a plane flew into Notre Dame, do you think he'd say the same thing? China now seems to feel the need to call world leaders and tell them to tell the US how to combat terrorism. Thanks guys, worry about your own human rights violations, when we want help oppressing our people we'll call you for advice. Both Jiang ("President" of China) and Mubarak (President of Egypt) think we should work only with "hard evidence" and that "countries not be punished" for the actions of "individuals." See, guys, the point is that the countries that harbor terrorists either physically or financially are as guilty as the terrorists. That's the point to a war on terrorism. It's not just about finding people hiding in caves. You have to knock out their ability to move. Moving and planning take both physical and financial resources.

Finally, when has a UN Council on actually accomplished anything. This is a genuine question. I'm sure it has, but I don't know when. The UN is a wonderful institution, but it has been handcuffed by corrupt nations who want nothing more than to distract the world from the problems in their own countries. They are happier to bash the US's problems and call it names. Before the UN throws its hat into this ring, it needs to reevaluate its own mechanisms and its functionary abilities.
- posted by levinson @ 9/19/2001 07:42:00 AM