Candidates, How would you grapple with Iran's nuclear drive?

**gdstark** · 17 Jun 07, 07:31

Originally Posted by gunnut

OK, so no North Korea. That means this organization has very little power over them. How do you propose to influence them when they don't care in the first place?

Not true....there are many ways to influence dictatorships. Fortunately they tend to be weak, held together by few, even single individuals, and are fairly easy to topple. In the case of North Korea I would make sure that the internet is not censored, that the thugs in charge are not allowed to travel, and when it can be proven, put arrest warrants on the heads of any who have committed crimes. It would be easy to topple North Korea if the free nations were dedicated to the task.

Will China be in it? Let's say China is in it. Does that mean China meets your standard of a democracy? If not, how do you propose to influence the most populous nation and the fastest growing economy in the world?

China is clearly not a democracy. And while it's easy to topple small dictatorships like North Korea, China is a more complicated issue. Fortunately China has embraced capitalism, which of course clearly contradicts the failed system of communism. What's left is a simple dictatorship, period. And the best way of toppling China's dictatorship is through open trade, open communication, and open diplomacy as long as we NEVER recognize their dictators as legitimate representatives of the Chinese people. This means we coordinate where it benefits all (fighting plagues, responding to natural disasters, etc) or benefits their ultimate fall (don't help them censor the internet). Ultimately the best way to influence the Chinese people is through setting a good example of how democracy benefits the people.

How about Cuba and Venezuela? Sudan? Iran? Syria? Libya?

Cuba will change when Castro dies. I'm very optimistic about Iran. There's a lot of internal interest in democracy. Probably the less outside meddling, the better. Some of the others fit into the North Korea category, covered above.

Let's say they don't belong. They form their own bloc. They control a huge amount of oil and export strife in the form of terrorism across their region. How do you propose this organization to deal with them?

This is possible, even true in some ways. But how do you see this possibility as any more or less with the UDN? Are you saying that if democracies did a better job of cooperating, the problem would be worse?

I already have a solution. Strip UN of its peace keeping force and sanctioning powers. Maintain WHO, even expand it, but we have to spend our budget on fighting diseases that are lethal yet easy to treat. Not AIDS. Let UN be a gathering place for different blocs like NATO, EU, ASEAN, the Arab League, and African National Congress to engage in trade talks and vent grievances. Let regional powers deal with regional instabilities. Keep UN out of local disputes.

So help me understand. Suppose the democratic nations were willing to meet to discuss what actions if any should occur when Fidel Castro dies. Would they still do this at the UN? Or would you strip the UN from the ability to even discuss such matters?

Second question for you: China is currently a member of the UN. Do you believe it's proper for China to vote on human rights issues? Or have a seat on the security council? Or be included in meetings to discuss Cuba? How can you allow an individual to set behind the CHINA nameplate when he does not represent the Chinese people? Doesn't allowing the Chinese dictatorship equal influence to that of legitimate nations work against the spread of democracy?

gary

**gunnut** · 17 Jun 07, 09:25