(Newsday) Editorial - After half a century of being treated as an international pariah at the UN, in the past year and a half, Israel has benefited from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's successful efforts to reverse the demonization of Israel. Yet the reasons are related far more to self-serving pragmatism than to a sudden urge for fair play. Why this sudden sea-change? Much of it has to do with Annan's desire to garner more U.S. support for his own job security after the humiliating scandal in the oil-for-food program. What better way to ingratiate himself with the Bush administration and a hostile Congress than to extend a gracious hand of friendship to Israel, whose supporters carry a lot of weight in U.S. politics. Whatever the motive, the result is a welcome better deal for Israel at the UN.
2005-10-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive