Sunday, October 19, 2014

Peacekeeper Obama

In his September 2009 address to the UN General Assembly, President Obama candidly admitted  “on certain critical issues, America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others.” He promised to rectify this and declared that “we will strengthen our support for effective peacekeeping, while energizing our efforts to prevent conflicts before they take hold.” It was apparent that emphasis was going to be given to international peacekeeping in accordance with the UN Charter.

When he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, President Obama declared that “we must strengthen UN and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries.”

 123 countries have 84,743 troops (plus some 12,000 police and 1,700 observers) in the 16 missions, which is admirable.  Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, and Pakistan contribute around 7,000 each, with South Africa, China and others at 2,000 and even tiny Honduras helping out with 38.  And how many armed services’ personnel do you think the United States provides to the United Nations in the cause of international peacekeeping.

 How many of the million and a quarter in America’s armed forces are serving in UN Peacekeeping Operations? -  32.

Obama’s statements about improving international peacekeeping were humbug. There has been no intention on the part of the United States to embrace peacekeeping under the UN Charter. 

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