National Sovereignty threatens our national security, prosperity and freedoms.

John Bolton’s criticisms of the United Nations (Sept 24, 2013 “the Myth of a United Nations”) are as flawed as the UN itself.

First, the Security Council has never been “a reflection of the larger world.”  It remains a reflection of the world as it was 60 years ago when a handful of victorious nations selected themselves to represent nearly 200 sovereign nations for eternity.  And, with no democratic ideals or accountability to “we the people” of the world. 

Second, Mr. Bolton ignores the growing list of lethal national security threats that all Americans face for which our Constitution is incapable of dealing with effectively.  From pandemics, to terrorism, to proliferation of WMD, to economic instability or environmental catastrophe or cyber criminals.   International cooperation is essential to dealing with these and unenforceable treaties are all we can count on.  Without demonstrating sincere interest and support for the key interests of other nations we can’t rationally expect their cooperation when we need it most.

Third, it is actually the UN’s embrace of ‘national sovereignty’ that “provides harsh lessons in reality.”  With every nation in the world retaining the freedom to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, to whomever it wants -- within its own borders -- we can count on global chaos fueling the security threats that in turn threaten our freedoms and prosperity. 

It is Mr. Bolton’s “faith-based, almost religious in nature, and unquestioning” support for the flawed concept of national sovereignty that ensures our nation’s continued loss of freedoms and increasing security risks.  National sovereignty is an invented mental construct modeled on the heart felt ideal of ‘independence’... which unfortunately doesn’t exist in the real world of chemistry, biology, physics and WMD.  National Sovereignty will be useless when Al Qaeda or some other state or individual actor acquires a chemical or biological WMD, the cyber or nuclear capacity to bring down our electric grid or economic system.  

Mr. Bolton is correct that fundamentally there is no “United Nations”. Unlike the “United States” the UN remains a confederation of states much like our original 13 colonies before they become a federation based on the rule of law instead of paper agreements.  Today our 50 US states use elected bodies and a supreme court to make and interpret laws and settle differences.   Nation states only have war as a final course of action. 

Until Mr. Bolton and others who worship the national sovereignty that is still enshrined in the UN’s charter, help democratize the UN and establish a structure where individual leaders and states are held accountable for their actions and war crimes, we will never know peace.  And, we will continue to see our freedoms diminished. 

Peace is a function of justice…not armaments or disarmament.  And Justice is a function of laws based on democratic principles…not military or economic power or paper agreements.  Freedom is a universal blessing from our creator.  It was not endowed on us by presidents, dictators or generous governments. 

And no government in the world should retain the right to abuse the inalienable right of innocent humans.