Bolton: U.S. to Bypass U.N. if Not Reformed

John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has laid it on the line; reform or we'll take our business elsewhere.

According to today's Washington Post, Bolton warned the controversial international organization that the U.S. might bypass it in dealing with thorny global problems if the U.N. is unable to make management changes that will make the world body more effective and prevent a recurrence of the kind of corruption revealed in the scandal-ridden Oil-for-Food program.

Bolton told reporters the General Assembly has "essentially not made progress" since President Bush and other world leaders convened a U.N. summit in September to endorse a platform of changes, including proposals to increase scrutiny of spending practices and to create a human rights council that would exclude such rights abusers as Sudan, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe all of whom have served on the Council.

He warned that continued resistance to reforms in the U.N. would drive the American public away from the United Nations. "Americans are a very practical people, and they don't view the U.N. through theological lenses," Bolton said. "They look at it as a competitor in the marketplace for global problem-solving, and if it's successful at solving problems, they'll be inclined to use it. If it's not successful at solving problems, they'll say, 'Are there other institutions?'"

He added, "Making the U.N. stronger and more effective is a reform priority for us: Because if it's a more agile, effective organization, it is more likely to be a successful competitor as a global problem-solver."