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| International-UN-NGOs |
| Kofi Annan on Generations of Americans as Losers |
| 2006-07-21 |
| SPIEGEL: Is the secretary general the main referree? Annan: He is a sort of referree, but without red and yellow cards. He cannot raise them, but he can raise his moral voice. SPIEGEL: That is, at best, a yellow card. Annan: You're right. A united Security Council would be a red card. SPIEGEL: The biggest team, the United States, likes to play by its own rules. Annan: There is a certain tendency on the part of some Americans to treat the UN as a multilateralism à la carte where you pick and choose where it suits you and when it doesn't suit you, you pull back. In Iraq, they want us to work closely with the Iraqis and lead an international compact for economic reform. They are within the UN on Iran and they are working closely with us on avian flu. In these cases they are working very closely with us because they have nowhere else to go. You cannot put together a coalition of the willing. SPIEGEL: Have the Americans changed their behavior as a result of problems in Iraq? Annan: There has been a very important lesson that everyone has learned from Iraq. Future American administrations will be much more hesitant to embark on a military action. It will also make Congress much more reluctant to appove military action and much more demanding of the justification and rationale for going to war. SPIEGEL: It seems that every US generation in recent history has had to go through the experience of losing a war. Annan: Yes, and it is a bit sad to put it that way. One has to learn from history. Quite frankly, it is almost impossible to have a sense of vision without a sense of history. If history is learned, then it doesn't have to repeat itself over generations. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #15 At least now I know why Ahmadinejad is always glad when the little pygmy shows up. He can con the shit out of him and he doesn't have to use the stool. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-07-21 23:53 |
| #14 We have one of two choices as American conservatives when it comes to the selection of the next head of the United Nations. We can A) push for the guy best qualified for the job. That would probably be the former president (or was it Prime Minister?) of Singapore, a known if I am not mistaken for stiff-necked, brutal honesty. Or we can B) push for the guy most likely to piss off enough of our fellow citizens to allow us to leave the damn thing and kick it out of our territory with 80% plus popular support. That would be the guy from Ceylon who wants to send the BATF to kick down every AmericanÂ’s door. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2006-07-21 23:50 |
| #13 This guy is going away... maybe in December? Is that when his term is up? This job is a term limits job. Sad part, Bill Clinton wants his job and the world would love to give it to him. Wonder if that will come up in the new hearings for Bolton? Some democrat Senator, with his half glasses resting on his somewhat tweaked nose, sniffing, condesentingly, "Will you work to get Bill Clinton as the next US Secretary General?" |
| Posted by: Sherry 2006-07-21 23:27 |
| #12 tu - Ghana exports chocolate. |
| Posted by: Slavising Sholuting4450 2006-07-21 23:12 |
| #11 SPIEGEL: It seems that every US generation in recent history has had to go through the experience of losing a war. Maybe. Or we could just ask the Germans what it's like. You know what I'd like to know from history? What the fuck has Ghana ever done for the planet? Besides inflict Kofi on it... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-07-21 22:43 |
| #10 "There has been a very important lesson that everyone has learned from Iraq. Future American administrations will be much more hesitant to embark on a military action." Many people have learned many different lessons in the nearly five years that have passed since 9/11. And I doubt very many of them dovetail much with "the" lesson Kofi Annan thinks we've learned. Yes, we've all learned a lot since 9/11. Suggestion to Kofi: don't be living in an Islamic country, or downwind from one, if and when the United States suffers another mass-casualty terrorist attack. Your health might be affected. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-07-21 20:33 |
| #9 What? You mean this wasn't a brilliant exposition piece using "soccer" as a timely metaphor? Although you're definitely right, Sock Puppet, somehow I think it will still be seriously considered for a Pulitzer... :) |
| Posted by: cruiser 2006-07-21 18:41 |
| #8 The irrelevant talking to the irrelevant. SPIEGEL is a propaganda organ not a news outlet. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-07-21 18:32 |
| #7 "SPIEGEL: It seems that every US generation in recent history has had to go through the experience of losing a war." Let me get this straight - this comes from Der Spiegel? The Der Spiegel? They think the US "lost" a war? Maybe the skipped history class from K through Post-grad. |
| Posted by: Chaitch Fliter3582 2006-07-21 18:10 |
| #6 One thing for sure, nation building for muslims is dead. Going Janjaweed on them is very much an option. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-07-21 17:55 |
| #5 Somebody oughta tattoo "No Clue" on his forehead, as a warning to the world. |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-07-21 17:47 |
| #4 Yes, and it is a bit sad to put it that way. Sounds like concurrence to me. "Kofi says" would have been a stretch. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-21 17:34 |
| #3 while i dont much sympathize with Kofis response, the line comes from the interviewer, and his response doesnt quite justify the headline. Obviously the only generations even the interviewer had in mind was this and the last one, and I doubt Kofi had time to consider the implications of his response. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-07-21 17:31 |
| #2 Future administrations will be much more hesitant to go to the UN. Hopefully future administrations pull the US out of the UN and banishes them from our shores. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-07-21 17:07 |
| #1 Future American administrations will be much more hesitant to embark on a military action. Or maybe it's just that future American administrations will be much more hesitant to undertake nation-building. |
| Posted by: Matt 2006-07-21 17:03 |