GULIVER AND THE LILLlPUTIANS

GULIVER AND THE LILLlPUTIANS: Max Boot is, shall we say, rather dubious about the value of Security Council approval:

On Friday, [The Security Council] reconvened for another endless round of palaver over the pace of weapons inspections, presided over by the resplendently-robed foreign minister of Guinea. No doubt his countrymen would have been mighty proud of François Fall’s star turn on the world stage. If only they had seen it.

Unfortunately, The New York Times reports from Guinea’s capital, Conakry, that “electricity is available only every fourth day, and then only between midnight and 6am”. Not that CNN would be on even if there were power for TV sets. General-turned-president Lansana Conte, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1984, strictly regulates the flow of information to his subjects.

This is what the UN “process” comes down to: a country that keeps its own people in the dark, literally and figuratively, is asked to shed light on what America and Britain should do with regard to Iraq. Gaining the imprimatur of Guinea – and of such other global giants as Angola, Chile and Syria – is supposed to confer “international legitimacy” on the actions of two of the oldest and most successful democracies in the world.

Indeed. (via RCP)

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.