Bolton and Reform of the United Nations

After yesterday's recess appointment of John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Ivo Daalder, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Tod Lindberg, research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Norman Ornstein, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and George Mitchell, former Democratic Senate majority leader and co-chair of the U.S. Institute of Peace UN Task Force, discuss the implications for U.S. foreign policy and UN reform. Bush countered criticism about Bolton's diplomatic style by arguing that Bolton could carry out the needed reforms at the UN. However, many of Bush's reforms have already become accepted policy at the UN. Daalder argues that more UN reform is necessary, but attaining it will require working alongside others. Questions remain whether Bolton is the right person for the job.