March 21, 2003

HE'S RIGHT. WE SHOULD LEAVE:

Former UN head calls war breach of Charter: 'Basic contradiction': Boutros-Ghali predicts U.S. attack will destabilize entire Middle East (Sheldon Alberts and Anne Dawson, March 21, 2003, National Post)
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former United Nations secretary-general, yesterday condemned the U.S.-led war on Iraq as a violation of the UN charter and said George W. Bush's policy of pre-emptive strikes is in "basic contradiction" with international law.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali, the secretary-general of La Francophonie, an organization of francophone states, also said he fears the war will provoke civil conflict among competing ethnic factions in Iraq and destabilize the entire Middle East.

"I believe that this intervention is a violation of the charter of the United Nations," Mr. Boutros-Ghali told reporters in Ottawa after meeting with Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, to commemorate International Francophonie Day.


The honorable thing to do is indeed for the US to acknowledge that it can no longer abide by the UN Charter which makes liberating an oppressed people illegal. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 21, 2003 8:35 AM
Comments

Boutros-Ghali predicts U.S. attack will destabilize entire Middle East




As Steve Den Beste
likes to say, "That's not a bug--it's a feature!"

Posted by: Mike Morley at March 21, 2003 9:45 AM

"La Francophonie"? Isn't that redundant?



Ed

Posted by: Ed Driscoll at March 21, 2003 10:10 AM

Ed - heh - I guess that name wasn't selected for marketing purposes in the Anglosphere.

Posted by: Paul Jaminet at March 21, 2003 10:47 AM

there are reports that Bush/Blair are going to give the UN a large role in post-war Iraq (and the French/Germans/Russians). Let's hope these reports are false otherwise these countries will think its ok to shaft the US since they never pay a price.

Posted by: AWW at March 21, 2003 11:32 AM

Would you mind, then, if a foreign country invaded the USA to "liberate" us from a government that allows abortion?



(This comment is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not rude, but it is an interesting thought experiment.)

Posted by: Peter Caress at March 21, 2003 11:56 AM

The most moral of all political tracts is "The Little Red Hen." So I endorse AWW's post.

Posted by: Harry Eagar at March 21, 2003 1:37 PM

Peter:



No, I'd support that invasion.

Posted by: oj at March 21, 2003 2:16 PM

I think we should remain in the International Postal Union.

Posted by: Harry Eagar at March 21, 2003 7:18 PM
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