Originally Posted by phoenix80

I have paid my own price trying to free it. Thanks for the offer though!

Yeah I have no doubt the airfare out of there was expensive.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Yeah I have no doubt the airfare out of there was expensive.

Yep, it was!

I really respect Mr. Bolton. I think that he is an incredibly smart man. I honestly believe his words should have more influence than they do.

I certainly wouldn't argue with that but given the environment was/is he the right man for the job?

Originally Posted by LCPLSMITH

I really respect Mr. Bolton. I think that he is an incredibly smart man. I honestly believe his words should have more influence than they do.

Well-Said!

Originally Posted by MontyB

The question I would ask is do you actually know what the UN is?

However in the interests of fairness what has Bolton achieved at the UN?

Let me take a stab at this: The UN is a useless debate forum where diplomats come to give the impression of work being done so that their governments can get away with doing nothing. It was used properly once: in 1950.

Answer to second question: What has anyone achieved at the UN after 1950?

UN troops for Rwanda mission were unprepared, says Dallaire

Canadian ex-general at war crimes trial

This is from the Canadian commander of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

Let me take a stab at this: The UN is a useless debate forum where diplomats come to give the impression of work being done so that their governments can get away with doing nothing. It was used properly once: in 1950.

Answer to second question: What has anyone achieved at the UN after 1950?

Yeah I have to admit yours and P80s answers are classic right wing answers which are based solely around the might is right philosophy and less about fact.

What you guys fail to understand is that the UN is the product of its members you seem to continually see it as a separate entity to the nations it represents and as long as you have that view you will never understand its function.

Once again notable examples are UNTSO, UNAMSIL, UNTAET, SFOR all very successful missions of the last few years.

If the East Timor thing is up there then you can cross it off. The troops arrived after everyone had gone through killing each other off.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Yeah I have to admit yours and P80s answers are classic right wing answers which are based solely around the might is right philosophy and less about fact.

What you guys fail to understand is that the UN is the product of its members you seem to continually see it as a separate entity to the nations it represents and as long as you have that view you will never understand its function.

Once again notable examples are UNTSO, UNAMSIL, UNTAET, SFOR all very successful missions of the last few years.

You're right and I agree. And thats why the US should put some body like Bolton there to move things around and get reforms done to better the performance of this corrupt institution. Canada, Australia, US, UK must work together and reform the United Nations. If this can't be done, I dont know why we, tax-payers, should continue funding UN!?

Any ways, successful missions done under UN mandates were done either by the US, UK or Australia. UN didn't do any thing other than issuing a toothless statement. It was US led NATO force in Bosnia, or Australian military in Timor that enforced those toothless resolutions. You think UN could force Saddam out of Kuwait with some resolutions?