Originally published on the CGS blog on December 12, 2007.
Details are still emerging from Algiers where two bombs left dozens killed in and around the local United Nations offices. The death toll will probably not be known for a number of days and the findings of the UN security team will likely take longer to determine.
The destruction brought back painful memories of past attacks on UN officials trying to complete important diplomatic tasks in dangerous parts of the world. In particular, few reading about the attack by Al-Qaeda in Islamic North Africa would have failed to reflect on its similarities to the Al-Qaeda attack on the UN Iraq offices in 2003. That attack claimed the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello and 22 others and robbed the world of a man capable of solving the Iraq crisis.
The building that was targeted on Tuesday in Algiers housed core U.N. offices as well as those of the Development Program, the World Food Program, the International Labor Organization and the U.N. Population Fund. The comments attributed to Al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa indicate once more that for the terrorist network, the United Nations is clearly the enemy.
And perhaps that fact is something that U.S. based ideological critics of the UN would be wise to consider. Perhaps a period of introspection may make them understand that cheering on John Bolton (farcically appointed U.S. Ambassador to the UN by the Bush administration) as he gleefully suggests that there would be no loss if the UN lost 10 floors from its HQ is beyond the pale.
I sincerely hope that there are some in the anti-UN camp here in the U.S. willing to reconsider their willingness to condone such rhetoric. Civilian diplomats are targets because they are doing work that we would consider to be in the American national interest.
