In informal statements, Bush administration spokepersons have
reflected a disdain for the opinion/position of foreign countries. A
formal administration policy paper has reflected the position that the
USG must first clearly decide on what is in the USG self-interest and
then find allies who will support us. However, the wording as I
remember is reasonably diplomatic and only implies unilateralism
rather than stating it bluntly.
On terrorism, the President was very blunt, saying in effect that
we've decided to battle terrorism in a way we feel is best and now the
only question is whether you (foreign countries) are with us or
against us.
I'm looking for a relatively formal statement by the President or some
authoritative administration figure, e.g. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz,
etc. which states bluntly that the U.S. is no longer interested in
reaching a consensus with allies using our traditional methods of
consultation but needs to decide these matters solely in terms of our
definition of what is in America's best interest. There is a strong
preference for a press release, testimony before Congress, speech as
reported in a big name newspaper (NYTimes, Washington Post, WAll
Street Journal, etc. Of somewhat less interest would be an answer to a
reporter's question. Having first hand, unimpeachable source is
important. |