Potemkin Villages

Why Bother?

Blog Turtle Bay and Beyond has been calling our attention to the Samantha Powers, new US ambassador to the UN, who has asked people to let her know what views and priorities she should promote on behalf of the US at the UN.

Samantha Power, the new U.S. ambassador to the UN, wants to know: how can she best promote American values and human dignity? What should the U.S. stand for in the world? . . .  Pres. Obama and former Sec. Hillary Clinton made abortion and sex (particularly homosexuality) top foreign policy priorities. A few years ago I was asked to give a speech at the UN on how marriage and family benefit women. A U.S. delegate came with a prepared statement criticizing me for not promoting sexual and reproductive rights.


It was an odd, angry and arrogant statement. And made the U.S. appear obsessed with sex and abortion to the point that it would not allow a meeting to proceed without mention.  Other countries are “fed up” (as they put it) with this “obsession.” This spilled into the open recently when discussions on migration trends got overwhelmed with 40 references to sexual and reproductive issues, while food, health, education and other basic needs got only one or two mentions.  “We don’t want migrants to think that their only/most important right is to sexual and reproductive health,” a delegate politely objected.

We will make a tentative prediction: when the "consultation" is complete we will be told, firstly how extensive the consultation has been.  Then we will be told that the major concerns people want the US ambassador to promote at the UN are--wait for it--abortion and homosexuality.  (Powers, incidentally, has a reputation of being not just Left on the spectrum of political ideology, but loony Left.)  American imperialism at its most immoral nadir.