Good News from the UN

By Rick Moran

An oxymoron to be sure. But since either a McCain or Obama presidency will no doubt continue the diplomacy track on Iran for the foreseeable future (unless something startling occurs) the election of three solid American allies to the Security Council can't hurt.

From the New York Times:

Japan easily drubbed Iran in the election on Friday for a two-year seat on the Security Council, while the recent financial meltdown in Iceland appeared to have contributed to its loss against Austria and Turkey in the heavily fought contest for two seats reserved for a group of mostly European countries.

Some Council members portrayed the lopsided vote against Iran, with Japan garnering 158 votes to Iran's 32, as an international referendum critical of the country's confrontational stance over its nuclear program.

"Its comprehensive defeat - a thrashing of Iran - is a very important signal of the whole membership's concern about Iran's actions," said Sir John Sawers, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, a position echoed by the United States.

Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, the deputy permanent representative for the United States, said, "Hopefully they will understand that this means that there is no support from the international community for that type of behavior."

It was Dr. Johnson who opined that the "prospect of being hung in a fortnight concentrates the mind woderfully." The closer Iran gets to having the capability of building a bomb, the more fearful the world community gets and most of the UN appears to be backing the US play on this issue.

With action in the Security Council looming large in the future, having three good allies - Japan, Turkey, and Austria - voting on Iran can only help us.