US to boycott UN racism meeting

[Number23]

The Obama administration has decided "with regret" to boycott a U.N. conference on racism next week over objectionable language in the meeting's final document that could single out Israel for criticism and restrict free speech, the State Department said Saturday.

The decision follows weeks of furious internal debate and will likely please Israel and Jewish groups that lobbied against U.S. participation but upset human rights advocates and some in the African-American community who hoped President Barack Obama, as the nation's first black president, would decide to send an official delegation.

Article here

Personally, I'm rather disappointed in Obama's decision. Protecting the interests of a chosen few should not outweigh protecting the human rights of many. Racism is still one of the most powerful forces in global economics and politics, pervading so many different areas it's too many to list. And even though I know the UN is not exactly known for its lighting quick reaction time to solving the world's ills, it still would have been nice for the administration to throw its weight behind the UN's stated goals to fight racial discrimination.

[Number23]

1. I think Congreswoman Lee's comments on this are important:

"This decision is inconsistent with the administration's policy of engaging with those we agree with and those we disagree with," she said. "By boycotting Durban, the U.S. is making it more difficult for it to play a leadership role on U.N. Human Rights Council as it states it plans to do. This is a missed opportunity, plain and simple."

[Raineyb]

2. Indeed.

The rationale is lame and frankly, Israel should fight their own battles. Frankly, an apartheid country (which I consider Israel to be in the first place which is why they get no "support" from me) ought to expect that they will be in the bulls eye of the organizers of such a conference. Frankly, so should this country. Now it looks like every country which doesn't want to look at its own racism is using the US nonattendance as an example in how to pull out of the conference as well. People complain that the conference is a joke but how can any actual changes be made if everyone boycotts it in the first place? At least the UN is trying to do something which sadly is more than even our own country is willing to do on that front.

But now we have a black president so everything is just dandy according to some people.

:shrug:

[Number23]

3. Sigh

Now it looks like every country which doesn't want to look at its own racism is using the US nonattendance as an example in how to pull out of the conference as well.

That is my great fear as well. There is just too much at stake, there is too much going on to not participate in this. And you're right, yes people are laughing at this conference and wondering what in God's name anyone expects to accomplish there, but sometimes making the EFFORT has every bit as much impact as actually achieving something. How will it look to the people in the Middle East, in Africa, in Latin America who cheered just as hard as everyone else when Obama won to see that he is not participating in a conference on racism??

I am more than a little disappointed in this. I'm not naive and I know why Obama is doing this, but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed.

[Number23]

4. Here we go, dammit. Other countries are backing out too

"Australia and the Netherlands were the latest to pull out of next week's meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, as a dispute gathered pace over a document said to single out Israel for racism.

Canada, Israel, Italy and Sweden have also announced they are boycotting the conference aimed at creating a global blueprint for tackling discrimination."

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/19/racism.conference/index.html

[Raineyb]

5. Now that Ahmedinajad has done blown everything up

the DU think is that Obama was correct to boycott this conference. Perhaps I'm wrong but as he was the highest ranked person there he was given the keynote address. Wouldn't merely having someone there who's got more cred have knocked Ahmedinajad off the podium for the keynote address? It looks like our country boycotted because they didn't like the language about Israel (As if 1. Israel isn't capable of making the arguments however wrong for its apartheid government on its own and 2. Having other countries call us out on our own bullshit was probably the more pressing reason for not going.) and said that the conference was a circus yet by not having anyone higher on the food chain than Ahmedinajad they basically made it possible for him to get a prime time speaking position in which he said things that offends thus allowing people to say "see I told you it was a circus." Self-fulfilling prophesy much?

:shrug:

Oh and by one particularly vile individual's thinking saying that we shouldn't pull out of the conference is the same as being an apologist for Ahmedinajad even if you've never said anything nice about the man. :eyes:

Nothing will ever be done about racism because for all the talk, most of these people don't want to do a damn thing about it.

Regards

[Number23]

6. That's a good question

Wouldn't merely having someone there who's got more cred have knocked Ahmedinajad off the podium for the keynote address?

I mean, is it that hard for the UN to get a President or Prime Minister who ISN'T an egotistical blowhard?? Make no mistake, Ahmadenijad didn't give that speech about how evil and racist Israel is to the delegates at the UN. He gave that speech to the people of Iran, to the people of Palestine and to every single Middle Easterner who is absolutely infuriated by Israel's mere existence. Why folks were so shocked that he would do this I have no clue.

As for the folks here, nothing surprises me about DU. Being honest, 95% of the folks here don't have a dog in this fight. For all of their self-proclaimed "progressiveness," racism is not all that high on their radar even if it is something that they are morally and intellectually opposed to. So the fact that many here say that Obama did the right thing by boycotting is not all that surprising. To them, the U.S. saving face is of greater importance than the U.S. (with its jacked-up racial history and present) taking an authoritative stance against the global impact of racism.