7.07.2005
As Bolton Battle Continues, A Steady Hand at the U.N. (WashingtonPost.com)
As Bolton Battle Continues, A Steady Hand at the U.N.
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 7, 2005; Page A17
UNITED NATIONS -- The face of American power here is a 5-foot-1 woman who can charm foreign envoys even when she is enforcing policies that infuriate them. Anne W. Patterson, the acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, represents a stark contrast to the confrontational John R. Bolton, whom President Bush has nominated to represent the United States at the world body.
With Bolton's confirmation at risk, Patterson is leading U.S. efforts to grapple with a series of U.N. scandals, monitor the 191-member institution's multibillion-dollar peacekeeping enterprise, and reorient it to halt terrorism and the spread of the world's deadliest weapons.
Senior U.N. delegates say they value her pragmatism and they are in no hurry to see her replaced by Bolton.
"There are plenty of people who would like to see Bolton delayed indefinitely," one senior U.N. official said. "I haven't heard anyone saying we'd rather work with her than him, but obviously that's implicit."
John C. Danforth, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the U.S. mission "clearly suffers" from not having an ambassador in place. But he noted that Patterson had exhibited the skills to run the large mission when she served as his deputy.
(More ... As Bolton Battle Continues, A Steady Hand at the U.N.) ¶ 21:15
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 7, 2005; Page A17
UNITED NATIONS -- The face of American power here is a 5-foot-1 woman who can charm foreign envoys even when she is enforcing policies that infuriate them. Anne W. Patterson, the acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, represents a stark contrast to the confrontational John R. Bolton, whom President Bush has nominated to represent the United States at the world body.
With Bolton's confirmation at risk, Patterson is leading U.S. efforts to grapple with a series of U.N. scandals, monitor the 191-member institution's multibillion-dollar peacekeeping enterprise, and reorient it to halt terrorism and the spread of the world's deadliest weapons.
Senior U.N. delegates say they value her pragmatism and they are in no hurry to see her replaced by Bolton.
"There are plenty of people who would like to see Bolton delayed indefinitely," one senior U.N. official said. "I haven't heard anyone saying we'd rather work with her than him, but obviously that's implicit."
John C. Danforth, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the U.S. mission "clearly suffers" from not having an ambassador in place. But he noted that Patterson had exhibited the skills to run the large mission when she served as his deputy.
(More ... As Bolton Battle Continues, A Steady Hand at the U.N.) ¶ 21:15
