John Bolton

John Bolton United States’ ambassador to the UN as of today Bush took rare option of using a recess

appointment to end a five month standoff in Congress

Bolton will be the first US ambassador to the UN who has: Categorically rejected the validity of international law as

a constraint on US actions and policies Vocally opposed the existence of the UN: “There's no

such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference.”

Unilateralist Bolton opposes:

Comprehensive Test Ban (nuclear weapons treaty)

US payments to the UN US adherence to international law The international criminal court The idea that the UN should determine

whether force is legitimate in international relations (at least with regard to the US)

Roots of American Unilateralism Idea that the US has a special role in the world Idea that the US is ahead of other countries in its

development toward the perfect society Idea that when other countries disagree with the

US it is because they oppose democracy itself (since the US is the leading force for democracy in the world)

Therefore, binding the US to international decision-making bodies of any kind undermines democracy

Arguments for Unilateralism Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” “The balance of power among civilizations is

shifting: the West is declining in relative influence; Asian civilizations are expanding their economic, military, and political strength; Islam is exploding demographically with destabilizing consequences for Muslim countries and their neighbors, and non-Western civilizations generally are reaffirming the value of their own cultures.”

Arguments Against Unilateralism Joseph Nye “soft power” Immanuel Kant “categorical imperative” Hubert Védrine “hyperpuissance”

(hyperpower) Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and

absolute power corrupts absolutely” US constitution: concepts “division of

powers” and of “checks and balances”