Obama calls for Security Council resolution on Georgia — even though, er, Russia has veto power; Update: Or does it?

posted at 9:20 pm on August 11, 2008 by Allahpundit
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“Astoundingly bone-headed,” says CJ. Is it? A man with 300 foreign policy advisors can’t be wrong!

The United States, Europe and all other concerned countries must stand united in condemning this aggression, and seeking a peaceful resolution to this crisis. We should continue to push for a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Georgia – the UN must stand up for the sovereignty of its members, and peace in the world.

I’d love to hammer him here for this Mother of All Gaffes — except for one thing. Over to you, Maverick:

The United States and our allies should continue efforts to bring a resolution before the UN Security Council condemning Russian aggression, noting the withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia, and calling for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory. We should move ahead with the resolution despite Russian veto threats, and submit Russia to the court of world public opinion.

Yeah, granted, Obama’s statement didn’t explicitly acknowledge the folly of trying to pass a resolution, but note the wording. All he wants is for the U.S. to continue to “push” for a resolution, which is ultimately all McCain wants too. It’s a symbolic/rhetorical gesture, as virtually all UN activity is and must be. Right? Or am I missing some nuance?

Update: Turns out this subject came up earlier at the Corner. Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, Security Council members are required to abstain from votes under Chapter VI, “Pacific Settlements of Disputes,” but not under Chapter VII, “Action with Respect to … Breaches of the Peace,” i.e., the chapter dealing with military force and other sanctions. Presumably any purely hortatory or condemnatory resolution would fall under Chapter VI and could therefore pass without Russian approval; only if the UN then tries to take action against Russia somehow would the Russian veto re-materialize. How perfectly impotent and UN-ish.

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