The Progress Report 3/8/2005

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Tue, 08 Mar 2005 08:21:47 -0800

Progress Report: Unilateralism Personified

" American Progress Action Fund "

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The Progress Report

by Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin with Nico Pitney and

Mipe Okunseinde

www.progressreport.org

3/8/2005

 

 

 

For news and updates throughout the day, check out our new blog at

ThinkProgress.org.

 

FOREIGN POLICY

 

Unilateralism Personified

 

President Bush yesterday named neoconservative, unilateralist hawk

John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The

appointment of Bolton, whose loathing for the United Nations is

unmatched even within the Bush administration, is a gift to the most

caustic isolationists on the right. Chas Freeman, the U.S. ambassador

to Saudi Arabia under the first President Bush, said naming Bolton to

the U.N. job was " the equivalent of dropping a neutron bomb on the

organization. " Some prominent conservatives in Congress, including

Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), have also

expressed reservations, signaling a difficult confirmation process.

Still, like the right-wing effort to twist the oil-for-food corruption

scandal into an anti-U.N. smear campaign, the selection of Bolton

reflects one of the Bush administration's fundamental foreign policy

goals: to restrain, undermine, and delegitimize the world's most

valuable institution for multilateral problem solving.

 

LIKE STEINBRENNER TAKING OVER THE RED SOX: As with President Bush's

selections for attorney general (who considers landmark international

law " quaint " and " obsolete " ) and national intelligence director (known

for altering intelligence reports to cover up grotesque human rights

abuses), the White House choice for U.N. ambassador seems to have the

very opposite values than those that would be appropriate for the

position. John Bolton wears his extreme disdain for the United Nations

like a badge. In 1994, he actually claimed, " There's no such thing as

the United Nations, " arguing that ''If the U.N. secretary building in

New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference.'' Four

years later, he attacked the international body again, declaring that

the failure of the United States to win support at the United Nations

would " simply provide further evidence to many why nothing more should

be paid to the U.N. system. "

 

COOPERATION, " KICKING AND SCREAMING " -STYLE: After yesterday's

announcement, supporters were forced to trade in creative euphemisms

to cloak Bolton's radical past. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

called Bolton a " tough-minded diplomat, " perhaps referring to the time

Bolton answered a question about U.S. policy toward North Korea by

grabbing a book from the shelf – " The End of North Korea " – and

saying, " That is our policy. " Bolton backer Nile Gardiner of the

right-wing Heritage Foundation described how Bolton would

" aggressively [pursue] the U.S. national interest at the United

Nations, " even if he had to drag the U.N. " kicking and screaming. " At

least one unabashed supporter of Bolton exists: Vice President Dick

Cheney once said Bolton deserved " any job he wants " in the Bush

administration.

 

EFFECTIVE LIKE A MISSILE: Secretary Rice also claimed Bolton had a

" proven track record of effective multilateralism. " Indeed, Bolton is

known by his colleagues in the State Department as a ''guided

missile'' because, " like a missile, Bolton has force and direction and

often achieves his objectives, even if there is collateral damage. "

Like the time Bolton was ordered back to the United States just before

crucial six-nation talks with North Korea after he thoughtlessly

called Kim Jong-Il " scum. " Or, for that matter, like most of Bolton's

recent track record. As Joseph Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment

put it, " Bolton has been totally unapologetic about his radical

prescription for dealing with the proliferation threat. The main

problem is that it hasn't worked anywhere. "

 

HIGH PRINCE OF UNILATERALISM: Bolton's career has been defined by his

passionate antagonism toward international cooperation. " If I were

doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member [the

United States] because that's the real reflection of the distribution

of power in the world, " Bolton said in 2000. When proponents of the

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty worried that its defeat was marking an

isolationist turn for the U.S., Bolton said that " such fears are

indications of a profoundly misguided and potentially dangerous

philosophy in American foreign policy " and called them " timid and

neo-pacifist. " And when Bolton was given permission to sign the letter

to the U.N. that stated Washington was renouncing the Rome Treaty

creating the International Criminal Court, he described it as " the

happiest moment of my government service. "

 

LOOKING AHEAD – BOLTON ON IRAN: Iran is certain to be a major second

term priority for the Bush administration, and Bolton's record on the

issue makes a mockery of President Bush's claims that the impasse with

Iran can be " solved diplomatically. " In 2002, when Tehran " signaled

interest in discussing its nuclear program, " Bolton brushed it aside.

Late last year, Bolton mocked the very notion of diplomacy with Iran.

At a conference in London, Bolton " responded to a question about

whether he would support Europe's attempt to offer Iran incentives

with the terse one-liner: 'I don't do carrots.' " Bolton has also been

the prime mover behind the White House campaign to oust the U.N.'s

widely supported nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei, employing

underhanded tactics like wiretaps on ElBaradei's phone and alleged

leaks of false information.

 

WOMEN

 

The Fight For Gender Equality

 

Today is International Women's Day. This year marks the 10-year

anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, " the most extensive

set of commitments ever made by governments to advance women's

equality and human rights. " Although progress has been made, there is

a long way to go. In 2005 there are " high levels of gender-based

violence in conflict zones...growth in trafficking of women and

children, high levels of maternal mortality [and] rising rates of HIV

infection among women and girls. " Women still account for " the

majority of the world's 1.3 billion absolute poor " and substandard

economic conditions for women lead to " gaps in income, health, and

education. " A recent report by the U.N. Millennium Project " calls for

women's increased access to education, jobs and assets such as land

and housing, improved health care, especially reproductive health

services, and freedom from violence. "

 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION IMPEDING PROGRESS FOR WOMEN: The Bush

administration has been obstructing international efforts to improve

the conditions of women. The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

asked countries that participated in the 1995 Beijing conference to

reaffirm their commitment to the platform. The Bush administration

initially refused, falsely claiming the platform guaranteed the right

to abortion. The administration also objected to language supporting a

woman's right to " decide freely and responsibly on matters related to

their sexuality ... free of coercion, discrimination and violence, "

claiming that statement constitutes " sexual rights " which " not all

member states accept. " This is about more than just reproductive

health. " Traditions and laws inextricably link sexual rights to

education, employment, property rights and political participation. "

Thus, " the rights the U.S. delegation was lobbying against last week

are the very rights that would improve the status of women and their

children. "

 

GAGGING WOMEN'S RIGHTS: Around the world, women are receiving

sub-optimal health care because of the Bush administration's global

gag rule. The rule mandates that " family planning agencies that

receive U.S. money may not offer abortion counsel or refer women to

abortion providers, or lobby to make or keep abortion legal in their

own country, even if they use separate funds not provided by the

United States. " Family planning agencies are forced to " give up vital

assistance and try to afford to continue to counsel women on all

pregnancy options, or withhold critically important information. " Many

choose to forgo U.S. funds, restricting funding for contraception and

making abortion more common.

 

THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN IN PAKISTAN: Too often, the plight of women is

subordinated to other political objectives. In Pakistan, the

government recently dismissed legislation which would have

strengthened the prohibition against " honor killing, " a practice in

which " a man can kill a woman, claiming that she brought dishonor to

the family, and still expect to be pardoned by her relatives. " When

President Bush met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, he

praised him for having a " clear vision of the need for people of

goodwill and hope to prevail over those who are willing to inflict

death in order to achieve an ideology. " Bush didn't broach the subject

of honor killings.

 

THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN IN IRAQ: The need to improve the conditions of

women is especially acute in Iraq. Since the U.S.-lead invasion in

2003, " armed groups have targeted and killed several female political

leaders and women's rights activists. " As in Pakistan, " many women

remain at risk of death or injury from male relatives if they are

accused of behavior held to have brought dishonor on the family. " For

more, read this report by Amnesty International. (Also, check out 10

ways to stop violence against women, from Lifetime Television.)

 

UNDER THE RADAR

 

HOMELAND SECURITY – A TERRORIST'S RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: According to a

congressional investigation by the nonpartisan Government

Accountability Office (GAO), " Dozens of terrorist suspects on federal

watch lists were allowed to buy firearms legally in the United States

last year. " Oops! Turns out the Bush administration, three years after

9/11, simply hasn't gotten around to making it illegal for suspected

terrorists to buy guns. In fact, until February 2004, civil liberties

stalwart John Ashcroft – who has advocated surveillance and

wiretapping on U.S. citizens without court approval – actively

resisted efforts to increase oversight for terrorists seeking guns

because of " Second Amendment concerns. " The GAO investigation

indicated people " with clear links to terrorist groups had taken

advantage of this gap on a regular basis.… At least 44 times between

February and June of 2004, people regarded by the FBI as known or

suspected members of terrorist groups sought permission to buy or

carry guns. " In all but nine cases, permission was granted.

 

HOMELAND SECURITY – WOULD YOU LIKE POPCORN WITH YOUR NATIONAL

SECURITY?: In his State of the Union address, President Bush said,

" Taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all. " But while the

White House has consistently underfunded vital national security

requirements – like funds for port security and money for firefighters

and cops – it turns out there's plenty of money for Tinseltown. USA

Today reports the Department of Homeland Security recently hired

Bobbie Faye Ferguson, a former actress whose claim to fame is guest

roles on Dukes of Hazzard and Designing Women, to advise Hollywood on

ways to portray U.S. security in a happy, positive light. Ferguson,

who pulls in a six-figure salary, has already given her services to

the Tom Hanks flop " The Terminal " as well as the CBS shows CSI: Miami

and NCIS. Who needs actual security when you can just watch it on the

big screen?

 

ENVIRO – EPA COOKS THE BOOKS: According to a new study by the GAO, the

Environmental Protection Agency has been cooking the books. The EPA

got caught twisting its analysis to make it seem like President Bush's

industry-friendly plan to allow dirty power plants to trade mercury

pollution credits would reduce pollution better than plans backed by

environmentalists. The agency used tricky math and " dubious "

accounting methods to conceal the deep flaws in the White House plan

in order to make it more appetizing to Congress. In its report,

however, the GAO exposed the EPA's dishonesty, charging that the

agency " failed to fully document the toxic impact of mercury on brain

development, learning, and neurological functioning. "

 

BANKRUPTCY BILL – MINIMUM WAGE DEFEATED: Conservatives in the Senate

defeated Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) bankruptcy bill amendment on Monday

to raise the $5.15-an-hour minimum wage. Kennedy wanted to increase

the minimum wage by $2.10 over the next 26 months. An alternate

proposal, by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) – who has voted against minimum

wage increases " at least 17 times in the last 10 years, " was " salted

with pro-business provisions " and fell by an even wider margin. While

Kennedy's amendment " sought only an increase in the minimum wage, "

Santorum expanded his proposal to include regulatory rollbacks for big

business and tax breaks for the restaurant industry. Santorum's

amendment also would have " changed the rules so that fewer workers

were protected by minimum wage and overtime laws. "

 

EDUCATION – STATES GETTING STUCK WITH TAB: The federal government will

force states to pick up an extra $30 billion in expenses in fiscal

2006, " mostly for education programs that Congress passed without

providing enough resources to pay for them, the National Conference of

State Legislatures predicted in a report released today. " NCSL pointed

out that President Bush's budget would leave " more than $18 billion

[in] funding gaps in two federal education programs – Bush's signature

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), a special education law that Congress

reauthorized last year. " The report said the problem of " unfunded

mandates " has been exacerbated by President Bush's recently proposed

budget. That budget will also strap states with an additional $45

billion " if Congress approves Bush's proposal to cut federal

contributions to Medicaid, " the nation's premier health care program

for the poor.

 

DON'T MISS

 

ECONOMIC JUSTICE: Senate conservatives reject modest minimum-wage

increase.

 

SOCIAL SECURITY: Abandon ship! More defections from pro-privatization

group.

 

WOMEN: 10 Things You Can Do To Stop Violence Against Women.

 

DAILY GRILL

 

" America will fund the construction of a modern, maximum security

prison. … Then, with the approval of the Iraqi government, we will

demolish the Abu Ghraib prison, as a fitting symbol of Iraq's new

beginning. "

 

– President Bush, 5/24/04

 

VERSUS

 

" At 3,200 inmates, Abu Ghraib has already surpassed the 2,500 people

it was designed to incarcerate. … The military, [a Pentagon spokesman

said], will continue to operate the facility 'for the foreseeable

future.' "

 

– Associated Press, 3/8/05

 

DAILY OUTRAGE

 

The Department of Homeland Security is using taxpayer money to hire " a

Hollywood liaison to work with moviemakers and scriptwriters. "

 

© Copyright 2005 by American Progress Action Fund. All rights reserved.