The United States has returned to the United Nations to win international support to help stabilize and rebuild Iraq. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously last week to approve a multinational force in Iraq, providing precious political cover for governments that wish to aid the war-torn country. The actual impact of the resolution is likely to be minimal: divisions in the world community are still too deep and the pledges of support too small for the monumental task they confront. And while the resort to the U.N. is a much-needed fillip for the institution, the world body must do more to ensure that it remains relevant and useful in solving this crisis and the others that will follow.
The Iraq war did not create the divisions among the world's leading governments; it did expose and sharpen them. Ever since the U.S. and its allies decided to attack Iraq without explicit U.N. authorization, there has been a fear that the foundations of the international legal order were eroded, the U.N. along with them. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned that the world body risked irrelevance if it did not face up to the challenges of the 21st century. This fear was matched by a thinly disguised schadenfreude when the U.S. encountered difficulties after the government of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein fell.
The pleasure at U.S. discomfort might be human, but it is still misplaced. The world cannot afford to see the U.S. fail in Iraq. Instability at the heart of the Persian Gulf is unlikely to be contained; it will spread throughout the region. The forces that are creating instability are not going to focus solely on the U.S. They will vent their anger and bring their violence to bear against anyone who opposes them. "Defeating" the U.S. will only spur them on. That is why Iraq is the world's responsibility.