UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001633

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OPRC CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - UNITED NATIONS


On July 31, government-owned, editorially independent La
Nacion (circ. 3,800) ran an article by columnist Jose
Rodriguez Elizondo entitled, "Quo Vadis (Whither Goest
Thou?) UN." Quote:

"On its 60th anniversary, the UN is suffering from the
syndrome of irrelevance...which began with the UN refusal
to support George H. Bush's previous war in Iraq to oust
Saddam Hussein. Following Clinton, who valued
multilateralism, George W. Bush took up the unfinished
task, disregarding the UN at the first opportunity. And
that opportunity arrived tragically with the September
11, 2001, attacks in New York. To the relief of Bush
son, the UN secretary general was no longer the impudent
figure his father had to deal with.... The results are
there for us to see. Bush is waging war not to
strengthen democracies that truly exist, but to instill
democracy in other civilizations, reminding us of the
medieval crusades or a science fiction author trying to
implant the future in societies of the past. In this
sense, he has gone further than the UN would have
intended and beyond that which Western civilization
permits. The worst part is that he does not know how to
end this adventure, while the UN continues to seek its
destiny."

KELLY