http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=3238
Are all of these true? What’s going on here?
I’m not sure exactly what you’re getting at, Flying_Monk. A large number of these were votes (39, by my count) in support of Israel, which has been a staunch ally of the U.S. and is often the target of numerous resolutions. For the same reason, on some resolutions (such as to end the embargo against Cuba) the only votes against are the U.S., Israel, and then maybe one or two others.
Another large chunk of these rejected resolutions propose nuclear or other arms restrictions, which the US has not wanted to subject to UN restrictions, in the interests of its national defense. It has preferred bilateral agreements.
And then some of them are summarized on the list too vaguely, making implications about things like human rights (and things like health care being human rights, which would have untenable implications for domestic US policy). This list was likely compiled by someone with an anti-US agenda, who has characterized many of the vetoes in an unfavorable light. The US has a lot more to lose than just about any other country when it comes to UN resolutions, so it’s only natural that many of them will be rejected.
The US has made some questionable votes, but this list dilutes genuine concerns by painting with too broad of a brush.
How incredibly disingenuous; the restriction to the years 1972-2002 has no purpose other than statistical lying. The claim that “Russia has only used its veto twice” is idiotic; how long has there been a Russia in the UN, rather than a USSR? The USSR has used its veto 120 times, the U.S. only 79 – and as peepthis noted, there were a lot of resolutions aimed at Israel that the U.S. blocked.
I don’t see your point, Nametag. Do you not agree that the USSR no longer exists, and that it is indeed true that Russia/CIS has used veto a grand total of twice? What seems to be the problem?
I don’t see your point, Nametag. Do you not agree that the USSR no longer exists, and that it is indeed true that Russia/CIS has used veto a grand total of twice? What seems to be the problem?
The problem is that Russia and the USSR are the same friggin’ country! For god’s sake, are you so blind? Have you not noticed that Russia’s government has political continuity with the USSR’s?
OK, forget that – you probably don’t believe it anyway, despite the fact that they have the USSR’s veto in the U.N. Security Council (which proves that the U.N. has acknowledged their continuity). So let’s address the fact that this Russia that has used its veto twice has only existed since 1991 – a little unfair, isn’t it, to compare this 12-year record to the 30-year record that the U.S. has compiled while defending itself and its allies against frivolous and malicious resolutions during the Cold War?
Since 1991, the U.S. has voted against 14 resolutions - 4 aimed at Israel, and 8 being annual resolutions calling on the U.S. to end its embargo on Cuba. I’m no supporter of the embargo, nor of knee-jerk alignment with Israel, but it’s pretty obvious that these 12 were proposed in full knowledge that the U.S. would vote against them. That leaves two substantive vetoes by the U.S. Big freakin’ whoop.
This same exact list (I believe hosted on a different site though) was referenced in a recent GD thread. I posted a reply as follows:
So at least one item on the list is untrue. Knowing that it’s Z Magazine, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others as well.
While Russia/USSR has used its veto 120 times, 79 of those times were in the first 10 years (1945-1955), for an average of less than once a year since then.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2828985.stm
From the same site:
" Seven of the last nine vetoes at the Security Council have been by the United States, and six of these have been of draft resolutions criticising the Israeli Government in some way.
The most recent, in December 2002, was a draft resolution criticising the killing by Israeli forces of several United Nations employees and the destruction of the World Food Programme warehouse in the West Bank."
Monk, I had the same initial reaction as you when I saw the same list on another site - which is why I started the GD refenced by Fang. The list does not seem accurate for several reasons - it seems to include some general assembly votes (I presume). Also it is necessary to look at the full resolution and reason for the veto. A more accurate list is http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/membship/veto/vetosubj.htm
also a full discussion on the reasons for the vetos and resolutions can be found in “The Veto : a Historical Necessity, 1946-2001 : a Comprehensive Record of the Use of the Veto in the UN Security Council” / by Anjali V. Patil. May be available in your local library (it was in mine)
I still disagree with most of the vetos that the USA cast but I can see reasons for them