International Peacekeeping Quotes
At the time most Americans resented the UN opposition to the American invasion of Iraq, but when it became known that the WMD threat that the George W. Bush administration claimed was the threat to the US, was not true, most Americans turned on the Bush Administration and were no longer as upset with the UN which in this particular case turned out to be right.
The UN peacekeepers have had a sorry record of protecting people from aggression, attacks and even genocide. In Sarajevo they stood by as the Serbs rounded up 7,000 male Muslims and marched them off to be executed right past the United Nations forces. And the UN was unable to stop the genocide in Rwanda. In the Middle East on several occasions, Arab armies have walked right through the United Nations peacekeepers and attacked Israeli civilians. So no one, lease of all the Israelis have any confidence that the United Nations can provide security in Jerusalem or anywhere else in the Middle East. The Israeli position was that when the Jordanians controlled the city, they did not allow Jews to their sacred places to pray or have access to the city. The UN could not prevent violence at all. No one else is willing, but since 1967 the Israelis have maintained the peace and security of the city while allowing the Arabs and other groups access to their places of worship.
It is a huge surprise for modern Republicans to discover that the great Republican President, Theodore Roosevelt, advocated strengthening the power of the World Court. 21st century Most Republicans consider this court and other international tribunals to be infringements on American sovereignty, and politicians who agree with Roosevelt as traitors.
American official foreign policy had been officially isolationist—to not get involved in the squabbles and fights of other nations. Angell however pointed out that even before WWII, America had formally been involved in 6 foreign wars and used military incursions on foreign soil on almost 100 occasions.
