Bush Administration: Worldwide Bully
How did George W. Bush gets his "Coalition of Willing?"
Well, according to one diplomat, it was by emulating The Godfather:
But fortunately, according to this diplomat, this didn't last too long. And why not?
It's really heartbreaking to see the things the Bush Administration had done to get us into Iraq, the things they have done as a result of getting us in Iraq, and the things they are doing to keep us in Iraq.
Well, according to one diplomat, it was by emulating The Godfather:
UNITED NATIONS -- In the months leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration threatened trade reprisals against friendly countries who withheld their support, spied on its allies, and pressed for the recall of U.N. envoys that resisted U.S. pressure to endorse the war, according to an upcoming book by a top Chilean diplomat.
The rough-and-tumble diplomatic strategy has generated lasting "bitterness" and "deep mistrust" in Washington's relations with allies in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, wrote Heraldo Muñoz, Chile's ambassador to the United Nations, in his book "A Solitary War: A Diplomat's Chronicle of the Iraq War and Its Lessons," set for publication next month.
"In the aftermath of the invasion, allies loyal to the United States were rejected, mocked and even punished" for their refusal to back a U.N. resolution authorizing military action against Saddam Hussein's government, Muñoz wrote.
But fortunately, according to this diplomat, this didn't last too long. And why not?
But the tough talk dissipated as the war effort worsened and President Bush came to reach out to many of the same allies that he had spurned. Muñoz's account suggests the U.S. strategy backfired in Latin America, damaging the administration's standing in a region that has long been dubious of U.S. military intervention.
It's really heartbreaking to see the things the Bush Administration had done to get us into Iraq, the things they have done as a result of getting us in Iraq, and the things they are doing to keep us in Iraq.
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Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war
Secret document details American plan to bug phones and emails of key Security Council members
Read the memo
The Observer, Sunday March 2 2003
The United States is conducting a secret ‘dirty tricks’ campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq.
Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer.
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