The Fruit of Obama's Diplomatic Genius

It was a remarkable speech Obama gave at the UN.  He began by claiming to be humbled.  And then once again he reminded everybody of the big mess he keeps saying he inherited.  He said that in spite of the "almost reflexive anti-Americanism," he would never apologize for defending the interests of his nation and his people.  It should be an easy promise to keep, since he hasn't been caught defending them yet. 

In our humble president's next breath came the inevitable list of things he's doing differently than the Bush administration, for which he expects the world will like us better.  All of this came as lead up to what he plans to accomplish, and high on that list is... world peace!  Starting with the nations of the world standing shoulder to shoulder against the spread of nuclear weapons.

I've said before and I will repeat, I am committed to diplomacy that opens a path to greater prosperity and more secure peace for both nations if they live up to their obligations.

But if the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East - then they must be held accountable.

The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.

But do we find any interest in holding Iran and North Korea accountable?  How about sanctions?  Might sanctions will do the trick?  Tough ones?

BEIJING — China will not support increased sanctions on Iran as a way to curb its nuclear program, a government spokeswoman said Thursday.

No luck with China, but on the upside, the Russians said they'll at least consider sanctions.  Or maybe the nations of the world will stand shoulder to shoulder some other time. 

The president turned his focus to the Middle East -- Israel and Palestine in particular.

I will also continue to seek a just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine, and the Arab world. Yesterday, I had a constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. We have made some progress. Palestinians have strengthened their efforts on security. Israelis have facilitated greater freedom of movement for the Palestinians. As a result of these efforts by both sides, the economy in the West Bank has begun to grow. But more progress is needed. We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel, and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.

The time has come to re-launch negotiations - without preconditions - that address the permanent-status issues: security for Israelis and Palestinians; borders, refugees and Jerusalem. The goal is clear: two states living side by side in peace and security - a Jewish State of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people. As we pursue this goal, we will also pursue peace between Israel and Lebanon, Israel and Syria, and a broader peace between Israel and its many neighbors. In pursuit of that goal, we will develop regional initiatives with multilateral participation, alongside bilateral negotiations.

I am not naïve. I know this will be difficult.

I'll go along on difficult, yes.  But I'm not sure about the "not naive" part.  Having already demanded that Israel halt all construction in the West Bank, not even for natural growth expansion, he said the time has come to re-launch negotiations with no preconditions.  But that's a precondition.  We get it straight from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The speech was "good and positive" for Israel and for moving the peace process forward, the prime minister told The Jerusalem Post.

However, speaking in New York, Abbas said that even at the risk of alienating Obama, he could not return to talks without a clear agenda.

"In all honesty, we want to protect our relations with President Obama under any conditions," he told the London-based Al Hayat newspaper. "We don't want to come out with a crisis with the Americans, or create a crisis. But in the meantime, we can't go on unless there is a clear path. The road must be defined so we can know where we are going."

Abbas called again for a complete settlement freeze.

"We can't accept the status quo because a partial halt means a continuation of settlements," he said. "Even if it is halted by 95 percent, it is still a continuation of settlement activities."

The historic re-launch-without-preconditions will just have to wait.  Wait until those preconditions are settled.  Was Obama expecting something else? 

The best, however, was saved for last.  The president concluded with an historic call for reform.

The United Nations was built by men and women like Roosevelt from every corner of the world - from Africa and Asia, from Europe to the Americas. These architects of international co-operation had an idealism that was anything but naïve - it was rooted in the hard-earned lessons of war; rooted in the wisdom that nations could advance their interests by acting together instead of splitting apart.

Now it falls to us - for this institution will be what we make of it.

The United Nations does extraordinary good around the world feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, mending places that have been broken. But it also struggles to enforce its will, and to live up to the ideals of its founding.

I believe that those imperfections are not a reason to walk away from this institution - they are a calling to redouble our efforts.

The United Nations can either be a place where we bicker about outdated grievances, or forge common ground; a place where we focus on what drives us apart, or what brings us together; a place where we indulge tyranny, or a source of moral authority.

Reform the UN!  Fat chance!

Update:  The Independent reports that Iran has been told in no uncertain terms that it will face economic sanctions if it continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Iran has been given an ultimatum to suspend its nuclear programme and warned it will face economic sanctions unless it makes a "serious response" by 1 October. At a special session of the United Nations Security Council yesterday which endorsed Barack Obama's vision of a nuclear-free world, six major powers issued a tough warning to Iran.

But what does that mean?  Nobody's committing to anything.

Mr Brown said the six nations – the US, Britain, Germany, France , Russia and China – had sent the "strongest possible message" to Iran. Last night a Downing Street spokesman said the six countries would decide their next steps after they held talks with Iran in Istanbul on 1 October.

Yes, the nations will vote for tough sanctions.  They'll decide exactly what they are later.  And then vote on them.  That's sure to work.