From the article of 'Petrel'
No.611 / January 1, 1997

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Dismantling of the fantasy to the United Nations

The secretary-general became from Ghali to Annan
The United States rammed through.



The new secretary-general was decided by the secretary-general United Nations election that had become deadlocked. It is United Nations secretary vice-chief Kofi Annan (Ghana) who is in favor with the United States. It is clarified what existence of the present United Nations in the passage of the secretary-general election at this time again, and it teaches the Ghali's route that had pursued "the Originality of the United Nations" to have failed finally.



<> Where might is master, justice is servant.

The 14 countries in 15 countries supported the reelection of Ghali and the 1 country, the United States, was opposing to it in the Security Council only 1 month ago. In a month after that, the secretary vice-chief Annan in Ghana was decided at last while eight conferences being repeated. This was so forcible as to be said, "Where might is master, justice is servant." "Where might is master,justice is servant --- Seeing the process that the secretary vice-chief Kofi Annan (Ghana) who is in favor with the United States was decided to the following secretary-general of the United Nations on 13, what floating on the head was such a proverb. The way of the United States, which prevented the reelection of the secretary-general Ghali who was supported by the greater part of the joining 185 countries with suggesting the veto power and carried out things just as he wants to, teached us 'the democratization of the Security Council' having been listed on one of the pillars of the United Nations reformation was a mere optimistic fantasy yet." ("The Asahi News Paper" December 15)

To elect the secretary-general of the United Nations, it is necessary in the first to be approved in the Security Council. Though it is decided if 2/3 of 15 countries, that is, 9 countries agree, it is constructed not to be decided even if only the one country of the regular director country opposes. In the Security Council in November, the United States opposed to the reelection of the secretary-general Ghali, though many candidates floated from Africa afterwards, France kept exerciseing veto power to the candidates whom the United States supports with applying the condition of "the Character who can speak French" this time. Finally, though the unification of Africa nations to Annan was made by wanting to elect the secretary-general from the Africa region and France also sided with it, having been unfolded here was a collision of uncovered interests of the large country and a power game of the large country. With disregarding the intention of the large country, especially the United States, the United Nations was not able to elect even the secretary-general. It was exposed not to be able to expect "the Democratization of the Security Council" and United Nations at all. The position of the United Nations in the contemporary world is symbolically shown here.

That is, the scene of the United Nations is a scene of a power game, a diplomatic bargaining and a maneuver of the large country, and it is only a transient fantasy to expect it should be "the Center of the world peace."



<> The confrontation between Ghali and the United States.

The official reason that the United States opposed the reelection of secretary-general Ghali was such as that "The demand to change the highest responsible person is natural because the rationalization of the United Nations mechanism was not advanced at all though we bore the one-quarter of the United Nations budgets every year." (The United States representative part of UN) However, clearly such a complaint was only the one-sided "Reason" for the relieving Ghali. Because, though the United Nations certainly falls into the deficit of about 2.5 billions dollar unifying the usual budget and the special accounting of PKO in this November, it is the United States to make a big cause of the financial crisis. That is, the United States is failing to pay 530 millions dollar in the usual budget and over 900 millions dollar in PKO.

The reason the United States refused the reelection of the secretary-general Ghali is that Ghali does not approve the policy and the standpoint of the United States as it is in international politics above all.

Especially, the reason for it is that he had pushed an original standpoint as the United Nations out in the PKO acting in Somalia and old Yugoslavia.

as a typical imperialist nation that his power is limited and restricted by the United Nations. The United States obstructed the reelection of Ghali putting the prestige of the nation.



<> The United Nations' bureaucrat "inclined to USA," the new secretary-general Annan

The new secretary-general Annan who was elected newly went to study to the Makarentah University of Saint Pole in the Minnesota state after graduating from the university in Kumashi, the second city of Ghana, acquired the master title of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is the United Nations' bureaucrat of "the excellent administrative ability" (58 years old) who has acted as the diplomat of the United Nations for 30 years from 1962. He is the first "Trueborn secretary-general of the United Nations." "He is the only candidate who has a personal experience based on the carrier in the United Nations from the budget, the personnel affairs, and the Peace Keeping Operations to the refugee problem and the other duty on the spot. He returned to the mother country Ghana only two years from 1974 when he served as the secretary-general of the Sightseeing Development Corporation since he entered UN as a bureaucrat in charge of the administration and finance of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva 1962. He went up in international civil servant's stairs, and was appointed the permanent vice-chief who took charge of Peace Keeping Operations (PKO) in March, '93.

It is a problem what extent can he show his leadership in the bargaining of international politics because he is not a politician while acknowledged 'Administrative ability' as a bureaucrat." ('The Everyday News Paper' December 14) He is introduced as above. Anyway, Annan will not conflict with the United States hoisting "the originality" of the United Nations on the front side like predecessor Ghali. It is likely to be given priority in the first to the compromise and mediation with the United States as the super power. Annan talked about the ambition as follows. "What the United Nations can do, what should it do and what cannot it do? I want to make the redefine of the purpose of the United Nations after the Cold War to be the top priority problem with the joining country." "It is necessary to decide what we request to the United Nations while funds become scarce in the 21st century." Ghali was received the repulsion of US to intend to advance of "the independence" of UN in the world system after the Cold War. The intervention of UN to an international dispute could do nothing but depend on the military power of the joining countries after all and it made Ghali to go toward the foundation of the UN army. However, such reinforcement of the leadership of UN could do nothing but conflicted with the interests in each country including the United States and failed. Therefore, there is nothing except starting for Annan who follows Ghali from confirming what UN can do and what cannot do again.

For Annan it is the premise already from the starting that UN cannot exist apart from the interests of large countries and Annan can do nothing except grope for "the role of UN" in the range that UN does not conflict with the interests of large countries. The Change from Ghali to Annan, it teaches the end of one age of "United Nations fantasy." Though the new secretary-general Annan will undertake the various problems, the financial rebuilding, and the rationalization of UN mechanism that swells up to 50,000 persons and the like, it might not be Ghali but Annan who is the business bureaucrat. Therefore, the following expectation of the mass communications can do nothing but end in a transient fantasy.

"The new secretary-general should aggressively advance UN reformation to correspond to the development of the history. We want at the same time the work toward the reinforcement of the originality of UN for which the secretary-general Ghali made efforts not to be abandoned." ('The Everyday News Paper' "Editorial" on the 14th) "The attempt of the reinforcement of the UN originality," it went bankrupt finally in the secretary-general election at this time. The United Nations in the age of the new secretary-general Annan will play the role as the organization that represents the policy of the large country including the United States or as the scene of the interests' adjustment of the large country more and more plainly. Other roads are not to be thought. The powerlessness of UN is now completely clear. The one such as "the World state" that stand on the large country is a fantasy and a petty bourgeois balderdash as long as the world system of the reality is a system of imperialism. The workers will oppose to such putty bourgeois "UN fantasy" and fight decisively to eliminate the world rule of imperialism and especially to knock down the rule of the imperialism of Japan.

(Akito Yamada)