To the Office of the
Secretary General
of the United Nations,
Kofi Annan
7-30-06


Dear Secretary-General,

I am writing to you with the hope that you will take swift action to address a grave and existential threat to the United Nations. The events in the Middle East are quickly spinning out of control as today’s attack on the UN offices in Beirut clearly indicates. The central problem is that the UN is no longer able to fulfill its mandate to "keep the peace" because of the obstructionism of the United States. In the last few days, 15 foreign ministers met in Rome to determine the appropriate language for a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire to the violence in Lebanon. As you know, the countries unanimously supported the motion except for the United States which blocked the measure to give Israel more time to destroy Lebanon with its vicious air-campaign. I think you will agree that the UN cannot survive if it is hamstrung in its duties by the narrow policy-objectives of the individual states. In this case, both Washington and Tel Aviv want war, and so, war it is.

Just hours after Condoleezza Rice had torpedoed the Peace Initiative, Israeli Justice Minister, Haim Ramon, boasted to the press that Israel had been given "international authorization" to continue its attacks "until Hezbollah is no longer present in southern Lebanon."

No such "authorization" was ever given. Ramon’s interpretation was a gross misrepresentation of the Rome statement and it is clearly being manipulated to further justify Israel’s gratuitous use of military power on civilian areas. The Israeli Justice Minister’s remarks are far from a harmless public relations ploy. They are part of a carefully-calculated plan to use the conference as cover for Israel’s brutal onslaught. Later, Ramon made even more worrisome comments about Israel’s plans to employ "huge firepower" in the coming days to crush Hezbollah. He now avers that, "Everyone in southern Lebanon is a terrorist and is connected to Hezbollah".

Israel now has allies on the Security Council and in the US State Dept who can thwart the majority and allow its barbarous "scorched earth" policy to go ahead unchallenged. The UN has been out-flanked by John Bolton, who blocked the resolution that condemned Israel’s massive bombardment, and by Condi Rice, who derailed the peace process in Rome.

Will you be a part of this charade or will you take positive steps to avert the impending tragedy? It is very likely that the hostilities in Lebanon are merely a prelude to a wider war on Damascus and Tehran. Will you stand by while the conflict escalates consuming the entire Middle East or will you do whatever is in your power to stop the violence and to ensure that the UN Charter is faithfully executed? You must seize the initiative and take drastic steps to prevent this tragedy from unfolding.

The United Nations is not expected to provide soldiers or weaponry to stop US/Israeli aggression. That would be foolish. It can, however, discourage aggression by using its "moral authority" to isolate and condemn the guilty states. We must realize, however, that preserving the peace is impossible if one of the offending nations has a place on the Security Council and can veto any resolution that is not in its interests. That is why, dear Secretary-General, that drastic measures are needed to deal effectively with this dire situation. Here’s what you must do:

You must convene an emergency meeting of the General Assembly and vote on whether the United States should be immediately removed from the Security Council. I think you will find that there is broad international support for this proposal. Once the matter is resolved then the US and Israel will be forced to pursue their conflicts outside of the community of nations as lawless pariahs. As you know, the United States depends quite heavily on the UN to conceal its interventions in the developing world behind a smokescreen of international legitimacy. Even now, the Bush administration is trying to access to Sudan’s oil and natural gas reserves by feigning concern about the violence in Darfur. It has employed similar tactics throughout the UN’s history.

The Bush administration has now decided, however, that it will run the world directly from Washington, subverting the UN when necessary and transforming it into a "cats-paw" for American aggression and human rights abuse whenever possible. In fact, as you know, John Bolton’s package of "Reforms" has been nothing more than a blueprint for turning the UN into a fully-owned franchise of the multinational corporations, the international banking establishment and Israel.

It is up to you, Mr. Secretary, to stop this farce and restore the credibility of the institution.

You must gather your strength and prepare yourself for the fight ahead. The United Nations needs to sever the cord that keeps the United States and Israel within the body of nations. Let them wander through the dessert of isolation for a decade or so while their fortunes turn and their power dissipates. Eventually, they will return to the family of civilized countries eager to face our collective problems together with humility and greater regard for the lives of others.

sincerely,

Mike Whitney 7-30-06