U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks to the Security Council on Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters)
Apr 05, 2017
Holding up photos of dead children as justification for potential war, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Wednesday that if the U.N. doesn't take action in Syria, "we may."
"When the U.N. consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley told the U.N. Security Council at an emergency meeting called in response to Tuesday's suspected chemical attack in Syria's northern province of Idlib.
CNN described her remarks as "the most direct threat of unilateral action by the U.S. delegation at the U.N. to solve the Syria crisis."
Tom Newton Dunn, political editor for the U.K.'s Sun newspaper, said on Twitter that Haley's comments on U.N. inaction were reminiscent of those "that George W Bush's administration used at [the] U.N. in late 2002," to justify the invasion of Iraq.
\u201cSubstantial development on Syria. Very similar language that George W Bush's administration used at UN in late 2002;\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1491408850
The threat came even as Haley herself acknowledged: "We don't yet know everything about yesterday's attack." The former governor of South Carolina also blamed Russia for having "shielded [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad from U.N. sanctions."
"We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts," she said. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"
The investigative outlet Airwars, which tracks international airstrikes in the Middle East, reports that a total of 701 children and 391 women are reported to be among those killed in confirmed and likely U.S. coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.
\u201cNikki Haley is holding up pix of dead Syrian kids at UN. Wonder if next she'll hold up pix of Syrian & Iraqi kids killed by US airstrikes.\u201d— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1491407291
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday's chemical attack "was a heinous act and will be treated as such."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Holding up photos of dead children as justification for potential war, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Wednesday that if the U.N. doesn't take action in Syria, "we may."
"When the U.N. consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley told the U.N. Security Council at an emergency meeting called in response to Tuesday's suspected chemical attack in Syria's northern province of Idlib.
CNN described her remarks as "the most direct threat of unilateral action by the U.S. delegation at the U.N. to solve the Syria crisis."
Tom Newton Dunn, political editor for the U.K.'s Sun newspaper, said on Twitter that Haley's comments on U.N. inaction were reminiscent of those "that George W Bush's administration used at [the] U.N. in late 2002," to justify the invasion of Iraq.
\u201cSubstantial development on Syria. Very similar language that George W Bush's administration used at UN in late 2002;\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1491408850
The threat came even as Haley herself acknowledged: "We don't yet know everything about yesterday's attack." The former governor of South Carolina also blamed Russia for having "shielded [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad from U.N. sanctions."
"We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts," she said. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"
The investigative outlet Airwars, which tracks international airstrikes in the Middle East, reports that a total of 701 children and 391 women are reported to be among those killed in confirmed and likely U.S. coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.
\u201cNikki Haley is holding up pix of dead Syrian kids at UN. Wonder if next she'll hold up pix of Syrian & Iraqi kids killed by US airstrikes.\u201d— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1491407291
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday's chemical attack "was a heinous act and will be treated as such."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Holding up photos of dead children as justification for potential war, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Wednesday that if the U.N. doesn't take action in Syria, "we may."
"When the U.N. consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley told the U.N. Security Council at an emergency meeting called in response to Tuesday's suspected chemical attack in Syria's northern province of Idlib.
CNN described her remarks as "the most direct threat of unilateral action by the U.S. delegation at the U.N. to solve the Syria crisis."
Tom Newton Dunn, political editor for the U.K.'s Sun newspaper, said on Twitter that Haley's comments on U.N. inaction were reminiscent of those "that George W Bush's administration used at [the] U.N. in late 2002," to justify the invasion of Iraq.
\u201cSubstantial development on Syria. Very similar language that George W Bush's administration used at UN in late 2002;\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1491408850
The threat came even as Haley herself acknowledged: "We don't yet know everything about yesterday's attack." The former governor of South Carolina also blamed Russia for having "shielded [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad from U.N. sanctions."
"We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts," she said. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"
The investigative outlet Airwars, which tracks international airstrikes in the Middle East, reports that a total of 701 children and 391 women are reported to be among those killed in confirmed and likely U.S. coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.
\u201cNikki Haley is holding up pix of dead Syrian kids at UN. Wonder if next she'll hold up pix of Syrian & Iraqi kids killed by US airstrikes.\u201d— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1491407291
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday's chemical attack "was a heinous act and will be treated as such."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.