Nexus - 1004 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

No nation today can defend its freedom, or fulfil the needs of its own people, from within its own borders or through its own resources alone. ...the nation-state, standing alone, threatens, in many ways, to seem as anachronistic as the Greek city-state eventually became in ancient times... No nation today can defend its freedom, or fulfil the needs of disputes to the UN before they 'go critical'" and "encourage strong its own people, from within its own borders or through its own leadership" by the UN Secretary-General, including greater resources alone. ...the nation-state, standing alone, threatens, emphasis on "preventive diplomacy...quiet diplomacy, and less in many ways, to seem as anachronistic as the Greek city-state reliance on voting per se for the achievement of our national eventually became in ancient times... objectives". Insisting that the UN's peace-keeping functions needed to be strengthened, Nelson advocated encouraging "small Nelson argued that as the nation-state was becoming "less and countries" to set aside troops for UN PKOs, developing new less competent to perform its international political tasks", the sources of revenue for PKOs, and a greater focus on "peace- prevailing structures of international order had disintegrated, making".” leaving “an historical political vacuum".*° The old world order If Nelson's proposals seem strangely familiar now, it is because based on the 19th-century balance of power was no more, now that many of them were endorsed in UN Secretary-General Boutros "international relations have become truly global"—a factor which — Boutros-Ghali's 1992 report, "An Agenda for Peace". In fact, demanded a "new concept of relations between nations" in the form — Boutros-Ghali seemed to echo Nelson with his recommendations for of a "framework of order in which the aspirations of humanity can "preventive diplomacy" and "peacemaking" and for countries to be peacefully realized. ..'"” have personnel and equipment on "stand-by" At the same time, Nelson was critical of the for peace-keeping operations. Yet, in spite of role of the United Nations, arguing that it a brief flurry of activity during the 1990s, such "has not been able—nor can it be able—to proposals are as far from being realised now— shape a new world order as events now so especially given the Bush Administration's compellingly command”. He charged that the suspicion of UN peace-keeping—as they were Soviet Union and its allies had weakened the in Nelson's time. UN. The Communist bloc, Nelson claimed, . The "better world" that Nelson had in mind had dedicated itself to "the manipulation of Under the aegis of the to replace the existing system of nation-states the UN's democratic processes, so astutely Trilateral Commission, was essentially a limited world federation that and determinedly, as largely to frustrate its David had mobilised united all the non-Communist states. In his power and role". But the threat posed by the 1968 book, Unity, Freedom & Peace, Communist bloc extended beyond damaging the Establishment Rockefeller argued that if the federal idea—as the UN, to attempting to realise its own "cruel design...for world order". The Communists had "taken our words, our forms, our very symbols of man's hopes and aspirations and...corrupted them to mislead and to deceive in their quest for world domination". During the 1968 presidential primaries, however, Nelson was less pessimistic about the UN, maintaining that the international organisation was not a failure. "On balance," Rockefeller stated at a Republican Party fundraising dinner in California, "the record shows . that the United Nations' strength has To achieve this goal, Nelson endorsed grown..." The question for Americans, the extension of the European Economic however, was twofold: "How well can the United Nations serve the | Community (EEC) to embrace "the North Atlantic Community as a United States’ national interest, and how effectively can it promote — whole".** "European political unity would be an important first amore stable world order...?" Nelson's answer was that both were step" in forming an "Atlantic Community", he claimed.™ possible. Although the US could not hope to control the UN Furthermore, by encouraging similar developments in the completely, it could still act in America's "national interest" Americas, the US could take the lead in the formation of a "Pan (usually a code for business interests) by maintaining world order American Economic Union", which would result in "the creation of using the resources of other member-states. UN peace-keeping the greatest free-trading area in the world".® operations (PKOs) he said "have made a vital contribution toward But Nelson was equally clear that regional arrangements were a the building of a more stable world order" and had done means to an end; that because of the Communist threat and global "multilaterally what the United States might have had to do itself at problems, "our advances toward unity must now extend to action much greater cost". Actions through the UN were "often the best between regions as well as within them". applied by the "Founding Fathers. ..in their historic act of political creation in the eighteenth century"—could be applied "in the larger context of the world of free nations", it would "serve to guard free- om and promote order in the free world"! In his Harvard lecture, Nelson revealed that he had "long felt that the road toward the unity of free nations lay through regional confederations in the Western Hemisphere and in the Atlantic, perhaps eventually in Africa, Middle East, and Asia". against the Realpolitik of the Nixon Administration with profound effect. way of controlling dangerous crises", as "unilateral actions" such as Thus, the new regional arrangements should be seen as steps Vietnam "frequently tend to boomerang". It was "perfectly clear", towards global integration: insisted Nelson, that UN PKOs "have strengthened world order Unity in the West implies an act of political creation—compa - and...also advanced United States policy objectives".” rable to that of our Founding Fathers—and perhaps of even It was therefore in America's interest, according to Nelson, to greater originality, daring and devotion. In our time, the chal - "take the initiative in strengthening the role of the UN as mediator lenge leads us, compels us, inspires us, toward the building of and peace-maker", as the UN "can and must be utilised as a primary our great North Atlantic alliance, our "regional grouping" into instrument" in the quest for a "better world". In support of this a North Atlantic Confederation—looking eventually to a goal, Nelson advocated that the US take the lead in "bringing worldwide Union of the Free.” Trilateral Commission, David had mobilised against the Realpolitik of the Nixon Administration 30 - NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2003 Under the aegis of the the Establishment with profound effect. www.nexusmagazine.com