Keep the U.N. out of Iraq

By Henry Lamb
web posted May 3, 2004

John Kerry continues to insist that the U.N. take charge of
reorganizing and rebuilding Iraq, while the U.S. continues to
provide security, and the bulk of the money for reconstruction.
He claims that this would give "legitimacy" to the new
government in the eyes of the world.

George Bush appears to be less interested in the eyes of the
world than in defeating terrorism and helping the Iraqi people
discover the benefits of freedom through representative
government.

It would, no doubt, be much easier, and politically expedient, to
bow to the U.N., France, Russia, and certain European
countries. This solution might quiet some of the uproar
temporarily, but it would only embolden the terrorists, and
postpone the day when the source of terrorism must be
confronted.

Kerry's most ardent cheerleaders include the terrorists who are
the targets of Bush policy. President Bush seems to understand
that terrorists respect nothing as much as deadly force. He seems
to understand that the ultimate solution to the problem lies in
providing opportunities for people to govern themselves, and to
become economically self-sufficient. He has charted a course to
accomplish both.

The U.N. has consistently demonstrated that it is, at best,
indifferent toward terrorism, and at worst, is impotent to respond
in the face of rampant terrorism. The U.N. failed to respond to
the slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda. It failed to act in the
Balkans. And for a decade, it turned a blind eye to Iraq while
Saddam Hussein filled mass graves with people who dared to
speak against him.

While ignoring the slaughter of innocent Iraqis, the U.N.
administered the oil-for-food program, which generated more
than $100 billion dollars, supposedly for the people of Iraq. We
have known for years that the oil money did not go to the
people, but to palaces for Saddam and his cronies. We are now
learning that his cronies were not all in Iraq.

We are also gaining some insight as to why the U.N. Security
Council failed to enforce resolution after resolution against Iraq.
Both France and Russia, leading opponents to President Bush's
efforts to enforce U.N. Resolution 1441, were deeply involved
in commerce with Hussein, and, it now appears, were also up to
their ears in <a href="http:
//www.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/gp_latest.htm"> corrupt
transactions</a> through the oil-for-food program.

Russia received more than 2.5 billion barrels of Saddam's oil,
and France got 165 million barrels. The Communist Party got
137 million barrels, and 90 million went to the Russian
Presidential Cabinet. The French Minister of the Interior got 12
million barrels, and Jacques Chirac's close friend and financial
supporter, Patrick Maugein, got 36 million barrels.

More than a year ago, WorldNetDaily reported that <a href=
"http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32011"> Kofi
Annan's son, Kojo</a>, was involved with a company charged
with overseeing the oil for food program. Even then, evidence of
gross corruption was mounting. Now, with trailer loads of
documentation taken from Saddam's former government, the
magnitude of the corruption is reaching the highest levels of the
U.N. and other governments.

The U.N. cannot be trusted to handle the billions required to
rebuild Iraq, nor can it be trusted to protect U.S. interests in
Iraq, or anywhere else in the world. The U.N., and our so-called
major allies on the Security Council, France and Russia, have
demonstrated that their first concern is their own pocketbook.

If there is to be peace in the world, terrorism must be defeated.
Governments, organizations, and individuals that support
terrorists, must be eliminated. This war is costly, and will take
years to win. But this is only the first step.

If there is to be lasting peace in the world, people must have
hope of achieving economic self-sufficiency, and freedom from
the whims of dictators, warlords, and tyrants. These principles
seem to underlie President Bush's policies in Iraq.

If these policies succeed in Iraq, it will shake the towers of
power throughout the Middle East. Those whose wealth comes
from corruption - as in the oil-for-food program - despise the
President's policies. Those whose power comes from the
slaughter of innocent people - the tactics of terror - hate a
President who is determined to root them out and kill them.
 
If there is to be peace in the world, it will not come from the
hands of the United Nations. The best, if not the only hope for
peace in the world, is freedom. Freedom is the target of
terrorism. When people are free to pursue their own dreams,
and provide for themselves and their families, they are no longer
available as recruits for the terrorists' bomb squads.

Henry Lamb is the executive vice president of the Environmental
Conservation Organization, and chairman of Sovereignty
International.

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