Mm hm. John Bolton did more to torpedo effective reform at the UN than any other single ambassador. Annan’s major reform process was initiated in late 2004 and guided through summer of 2005 with constant cross-checking with Nicholas Burns at the State Dept to ensure it conformed to American wishes. The reform package was patiently negotiated with over 100 other countries, who were pushed into agreement by making it clear that expansion of the Security Council would not happen unless the rest of the UN was reformed. Bolton showed up in the summer of 2005 with a list of 140 new amendments to the document and said “take it or leave it”. Many of the amendments were idiotic and contrary to US policy: he wanted to excise references to rich countries’ Millennium Development aid pledges (which President Bush had already agreed to years earlier), for instance. The effect was precisely the opposite of his intentions: suddenly, countries like Cuba and Algeria saw no reason to go along with UN reform any more, since they knew the US, not they, would be blamed for torpedoing it. Bolton couldn’t have done a better job if Fidel Castro had been giving him his orders. Kofi Annan managed to force Bolton to recognize his self-defeating tactics, and salvaged a reform document, but it was much less strong than the document that was there previously — less strong in terms of the US’s stated goals, like reforming the corrupt Human Rights Council.

John Bolton’s diplomatic incompetence sabotaged United States goals and policy at the UN. He was the best friend Castro, Chavez and Ahmadinejad ever had in Turtle Bay. He should have been fired long ago.