Soccer Dad

Limits of multilateralism

Charles Krauthammer's column today The Perils of using "the allies" (also available here) points out that there are two reasons to engage in multilateralism

Even the most ardent unilateralist always prefers multilateral support under one of two conditions: (1) There is something the allies will actually help accomplish or (2) there is nothing to be done anyway, so multilateralism gives you the cover of appearing to do something.

Krauthammer goes on to explain that the most important effort currently being undertaken by the international community (or at least the United States) is preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Realistically speaking, the point of this multilateral exercise cannot be to stop Iran's nuclear program by diplomacy. That has always been a fantasy. It will take military means. There would be terrible consequences from an attack. These must be weighed against the terrible consequences of allowing an openly apocalyptic Iranian leadership to acquire weapons of genocide.

The point of the current elaborate exercise in multilateral diplomacy is to slightly alter that future calculation. By demonstrating extraordinary forbearance and accommodation, perhaps we will have purchased the acquiescence of our closest allies -- Britain, Germany and, yes, France -- to a military strike on that fateful day when diplomacy has run its course.

The problem, of course, is that this is exactly what the United States did in the runup to the war with Iraq. And despite that the United States was still faced with opposition by its close allies.

I don't know what point the United States simply has to give up trying to please the international community and strike out on its own. In 1981 Israel watched as the world ignored the growing threat of Saddam Hussein (with French connivance of course) finally it was forced to take matters into its own hands. At what point will international dithering in the face of another growing threat lead the U.S. (or Israel) to strike?

Blue Crab Boulevard has more.

Technorati tags: Iran, Multilateralism, Charles Krauthammer.