Recently, the Bush administration has been aggressively campaigning the international community, especially the United Nations, in order to gather support for its plan to attack Iraq'a campaign that illuminates the changing nature of international politics. The Bush administration has been unsuccessful so far in gathering support and, as a consequence, has become ambivalent about how to proceed.
This strong desire for the United States to seek international approval, especially from the United Nations, reveals a growing sense of democracy. In light of recent and major international incidents and lack of a balance of power, it is important to nurture this growing need for international democracy and its champion, the United Nations.
Since the end of the Cold War, many of the impediments to internationalize democracy have been removed. In a world without balance of power, disparate nations have come together to achieve common goals and to combine resources on an unprecedented level. One need only look at the formation of the European Union and coalition-building of Desert Storm for proof.
Economic and social webs have sprung up throughout the world, thanks to technology and global markets, so that any sort of rash action disturbs those threads and thus the world. Therefore, institutions like the United Nations become even more valuable as nations come together to coordinate the world's next steps.
The common interests between post-Cold War nations allow such a democratic forum to thrive. The General Assembly allows member nations to pass resolutions on an \one country, one vote"" basis. Without ideological differences to polarize those countries, headway can be made on a wide variety of political, economic and social issues.
The United Nations has its flaws, however. They are woefully under-funded, meetings and committees compile into a mountain of red tape and the Security Council'according to many member nations'is desperately in need of reform. Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary-General has been one to call for such reforms.
Annan also touched on one other proposal that I find critically important to the internationalization of democracy: building better relations between the United Nations and civil society. This holds doubly important to the United States. The Bush administration has been rumbling about proceeding with a military operation into Iraq regardless of U.N. approval, a stance I find captures American opinion about the United Nations perfectly.
With its current power and influence, America has the opportunity to increase or diminish the success of the United Nations yet many Americans truly do not understand this power or its implications. From the street preacher on Library Mall to influential politicians on Capitol Hill, some Americans see the United Nations not as vindication and proliferation of the beauty of American democracy, but a possible overlord to abrogate our influence and freedom. This is a fear that Annan and the international community must calm.
Instead of launching black helicopters onto American soil to capture political and military figures and enslave our population, the United Nations will instead help spread and enhance the very ideals upon which this country prides its greatness. Countries should seize this opportunity to nurture democracy in the General Assembly and provide a stable new-world order in which all countries are considered equal and worthy of equal representation.
Hopefully, by encouraging our world leaders to embrace discussion, moderation and equality on a global level, we can begin to bring those virtues into our homes and hearts. Annan put it best Monday when he said, ""The world is changing, and we must change with it.""
