Will The Tail Wag The Dog (US/UN)?

Around the world, President George W. Bush and his administration have been criticized for entering Iraq unilaterally. Of course, Britain was with him, but few other nations. Around the world, the cry has gone up that the US president should have waited for the United Nations to act -this in spite of the fact that the world waited for ten years for the Iraq to comply with UN resolutions! France, Germany and other European nations would have eventually come on side with the Americans, many argued. If one examines history, however, one will have to conclude that it is debatable that France would ever have stood with the America, an English-speaking nation. Up to now, France has not yet been able to get over the downfall of Emperor Napoleon and her perceived place as the centre of mankind's nation universe. Imagine, England, originally a backwater island nation, upstaging France so that today most of the world's commerce and education is done in English not French. In addition, English has emerged as the lingua franc of the whole electronic world through the Internet. Academically, anything of note is republished in English almost immediately if English is not its original language of publication. Scores of nations have English as their second language in their school system including, of late, France herself! These developments gall France to the core!

The question remains, did President Bush and Prime Minister Blair act wisely in going into Iraq with their armies?

I've asked myself this question over and over again. Certainly the coalition of the US and Britain and some other countries did a first class job initially in winning the war in Iraq and capturing Sadam Hussein. The UN has no armies. How could it have contained Iraq without the support of the US and Britain and their nofly zones? To say that the US should have waited until the UN gave permission for such military action in Iraq is like saying the tail should wag the dog! As a Canadian, I've been ashamed that our government made the decision not to go with the Americans and British into Iraq. The US is our closest ally and friend and our most important trading partner by far. I've been so thankful that not too great a US retaliation took place because of the Chretien government's decision. Surely this shows the kindness of America to a friend. No doubt our lumber and cattle disputes with the US were in no way helped through such an anti-American policy in this country. Thank God our new Prime Minister, Paul Martin, is an experienced diplomat and values our friendship with the United Staes highly.

Let's look at other places where we waited for the UN to act. Ruwanda is one notable example. While the UN had their debates in the General Assembly (which seems to be at least 75% anti-American), innocent people were slaughtered by the thousands (over 800,00 to be exact)in Ruwanda. In Kosovo, if NATO had not gone in, ethnic cleansing would have continued resulting in the murder and dislocation of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. NATO helped the UN in its pacification of Bosnia and Serbia. Honestly, at times, the UN reminds one of a toothless tiger (no armies, no money, no resolve!!). If it were not for the UN system of governance with a Security Council with permanent members who have veto power, the UN would have been relegated to the archives of history long ago. Often the only thing that has saved the UN is the ability of member states like the US and Britain to act unilaterally when necessary for world peace. I think Kofi Annan was ill-advised to rebuke President George W. Bush and the US recently about going into Iraq - it smacked of a pathetic effort to influence the American presidential election.

As a Christian, I am painfully aware that, as I look out on to our troubled world, there is no human being who can solve our problems anyway. They are simply too complicated and onerous! On a coming day when "the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and he will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15)" - that is when the world will be delivered from despots, corrupt leaders, selfish industrialits, and cruel sadists who mercilessly keep their people in bondage. I, for one, wait for that day. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!