TOS Blog: Daily Commentary from an Objectivist Perspective

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

America’s Self-Defense Should Not Be Left at the Mercy of the United Nations

Posted by ARI Media at 7:27 pm

Irvine, CA—Iran is apparently expanding its nuclear program, and North Korea has hinted that it might test another nuclear bomb. Washington has committed itself to a “diplomatic” solution and is pushing for U.N. sanctions against Iran or North Korea. These sanctions, though, might be sunk if opposed by Russia or China or another country. So U.S. diplomats are busy trying to build international support for supposedly “tough” U.N. sanctions.

“But this entire approach is dead wrong. It sacrifices our self-defense to the whims of the so-called international community,” said Elan Journo, a junior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute.

“Our self-defense should not be left to the mercy of the dictatorship-infested United Nations, an organization corrupt to its core and manifestly hostile to America.

“We have a moral right to exist and defend our freedom. But our leaders do not believe that. That is why they want the approval of others, the endorsement of a ‘consensus’ supporting U.S. actions. Our leaders lack the confidence to act self-assertively to defend U.S. interests. But such independence—grounded in rational judgment and moral self-confidence—is indispensable to protecting our lives.

“Today’s crisis is a product of U.S. inaction and appeasement of Iran. Taking military action against Iran is not only within America’s rights, but overdue.”

Copyright © 2006 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

Posted in: Foreign Policy and War, Individual Rights and Law