"Global Anti-US Sentiment due to Unilateral Diplomacy"

▽`One country calls the shot`(New York Times)

Last week, the U.S. has announced that unless the U.S, forces receives an exemption from the International Criminal Court (ICC) the U.S. forces will not participate in the U.N. peacekeeping forces. In account to this announcement, Europe and many allied countries are criticizing the U.S. for arrogance to stand above the law.

The arrogance is just what the Bush administration is seeking. The U.S. defense budget for next year is 4,000 billion dollars more than total military budget of other top 15 military ranking countries put together. The economic power of U.S. is twice that of Japan, which is second in the world. The current day U.S. is unmatched in every aspect.

With this power president Bush opposed Kyoto treaty on greenhouse effect and various international agreements. This kind of act by Bush could be unproductive. Previous U.S. administration has used its powerful influences behind the scene while trying to settle problems in the U.N. and other international organizations in front.

The arrogant posture of U.S. is excluding themselves from other allied nations and handicapping their war against terrorism. The U.S. is all-powerful but they still need foreign military bases, harbors, airports and fuel supplies. Without these, an assault on Iraq is unthinkable. If the U.S. angers the allied nations with this ICC problem, he would not get what he wants.

"If president Bush gets what he want by force, it will be a worthless victory with great sacrifices. Who wins doesn`t matter, what counts is how you win." said Ibo Dalder of Brookings Institution.