Security Analysis on the International, Regional and Domestic Fronts

摘要

Annan-bashing now appears to be the "in thing" with the press in America going on an all out offensive against the UN Secretary General, followed by the Congress. Even president Bush seemed to have joined the anti-Annan chorus by calling for a "full, fair and open" probe into the UN's supervision of Iraq's Oil-for-Food programme, which they all contend was tainted by corruption. The timing of the "accusations" against Mr. Annan would suggest it is not coincidental at all. The Oil-for-Food Programme has been running for years, in fact since the end of the Kuwait war without even the hint of any corruption voiced by any quarters. But when Mr. Annan decided to be candid on some sensitive issues by terming the war on Iraq as "illegal" and following that up by stating that the war on Iraq had not made the world "any safer", it did hot go down well among some. He was also critical about the military offensive against Fallujah which he believed would upset the election schedule in Iraq (this has now proved to be true to an extent). Obviously, his plain speaking set off a chain of events under which a campaign was launched to malign him and tarnish his reputation - some circles even went so far as to suggest that the Secretary General should resign.