The Clinton Global Initiative: An Alternative to the United Nations?



(image via newyorkmetro)

If we are to read James Traub literally -- and we still kindasorta vaguely believe that he was being tongue-in-cheek rather than oh-so-serious with this -- then Conservatives are actively considering an alternative the the UN (Sounds bizarre, no?) called, quite possibly, the "Peace and Security Union."

Taking that into account, and forgive my cynicism in saying this, but perhaps, The Clinton's Global Initiative we are hearing so much about, is, in actuality, at the microcosmic level, a Clintonian answer to the United Nations, that is, unlike the 60-year old aging global body, actually effective. Is that so far-fetched an idea?

We all know, of course, that Bill Clinton has outsized appetites and ambitions that trend in the direction of the office of United Nations Secretary-General, where the final leg of his legacy may lie. That legacy, as recounted by Dick Morris, was thwarted by "historical forces" (And, a prurient Ken Starr Report). Keeping in mind that Dick Morris is virulently, even pathologically anti-Clinton, this recounted conversation still sounds accurate (from Off with Their Heads):

"President Clinton was in a philosophical mood as we chatted by phone that Sunday morning, August 4, 1996. He had just signed the welfare reform bill; now, poised for a big reelection victory in the fall, he wanted to talk about presidents, history, and his own administration. We discussed each of the forty men who had held the office before him, dividing the eighteen we liked the best into three tiers. That left twenty-two out in the cold.

"'Where do I fit in?' he asked. 'Right now, to be honest, I think you're borderline third tier,' I said, choosing my words carefully. 'It's too early to rank you yet, but you're right on the cusp of making third tier.''I think that's about right,' he replied, to my relief.

"Clinton never liked sycophancy. Unless you criticized him as harshly as he usually did himself, he didn't take you seriously. 'What do you think I need to do to become first tier?' he asked. 'You can't be first tier' -I broke the bad news gently- 'unless unanticipated historical forces put you there.' 'Like a war,' he agreed. 'Okay, second tier?'"

William Jefferson Clinton, generally, was good at doing "effective" (Rwandan genocide notwithstanding; even he recognizes, with heavy heart, his utter failure there), at least that's what Hillary emphasizes when she is in high campaign mode. Could The Clintons be running some complex multidimensional political gambit -- she running for President, and he, running for ... Secretary General at Large?

It is interesting, and, we believe, highly instructive, to step back and compare and contrast The Clinton Global Initiative and the hugely ineffective UN General Assembly, in which its leader Kofi Annan referred publicly to the diluted UN reform package as "a real disgrace. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detchment)" In contrast to that incompetence, at the CGI, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- which is in danger of falling to the hands of Muslim fundamentalists if French and German (and, for that matter, The Apostolic See;'s) diplomatic snubbery continues -- spoke frankly (via TurkishPress), saying, curiously, ever-diplomatically, "in some EU countries there is an imaginary milieu which overshadows alliance of civilizations. We should not overshadow this alliance ... 'Currently a few EU countries have a negative attitude against Turkey. For example, Angela Merkel in Germany claims that Turkey cannot join EU because it has a high population. However, such things do not exist among EU accession criteria,'' he added. '' We wouldn't have heard such a frank discussion at the UN, abut at a Clinton joint, anything can happen, so to speak. Finally, as far as affectiveness goes, according to the AP (link via Newsday:

"Organizers of the Clinton Global Initiative say they expect financial commitments from participants to surpass $500 million, money that would go toward more than 100 wide-ranging initiatives that tackle key global problems. The three-day gathering ends Saturday with a session with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and a closing address by former President Clinton, the architect of the conference of dignitaries, business leaders and activists.

"'President Clinton didn't set a monetary goal,' spokesman Jay Carson said Friday. 'His only goal is that everyone who came to the Clinton Global Initiative make a commitment.' Among those commitments: a bicycle distribution plan for Sri Lanka, micro-enterprise loans for African countries and improving justice systems in Bolivia and Peru. To get invited back to what organizers hope will be an annual event, those making the commitments must follow through."

For a first time event, that's pretty damned "effective," wouldn't you say? And, curiously, leaders in the developing world were allowed to speak up (Hugo Chavez notwithstanding), without worry of offending the US or, more likely, Ambassador Bolton and the Administration. The Sydney Morning Herald, with gemlike clarity, caught on to the subtle shadings of Clintonian parallel competition that the CGI has going on with the UN:

"There were two world summits in New York this week. The one on the East River had the usual stuff: motorcades, heads of state, massive security, and well-meaning words. The other was invitation only, in a nondescript hotel."

With, we hear, Branglina. Think: Celebrity Politics in its most highly evolved incarnation (The Clintonian contribution to American political philosophy). Says The Old Gray Lady:

"Some of those in the audience worked in the Clinton administration, among them Richard C. Holbrooke, a former ambassador to the United Nations, and George Stephanopoulos, a former adviser who is now host of the ABC News program 'This Week.'

"The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson also attended the ballroom session. But not everyone on the conference schedule has Clinton connections. Besides Ms. Rice, the conference schedule says that Paul Wolfowitz, the World Bank president and the former deputy secretary of defense, will be on hand.

"For many of those attending the conference, yesterday began with a wait in a long line. Everyone had to be photographed for the laminated passes needed to get into the sessions during the day. Many of those who registered also received a white canvas bag stuffed with more than just a ballpoint pen and a notepad. Among other items, it contained compact discs, including one by Mario Frangoulis, and a Nokia cellphone.

"'Isn't this awesome?' said Ryan Carlson, the director of the Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East, a London-based group that, among other things, has supplied generators to a church in Baghdad. Pulling the cellphone out of its box, he said, 'They haven't even marketed this in the states.'"

Now, back to The Sydney Morning Herald:

"You had to pay $US15, 000 ($19,600) to get in. In return you got a gift bag which included M&Ms. And, unlike the United Nations world summit, you had to promise to do something.

"The Clinton Global Initiative was not so much in competition with the world summit, as piggybacking on it."

Yes, but one can piggyback on the opposition for a jumpstart and still compete in the pandemonium that is contemporary international relations. The chief psychological characteristic of Bill Clinton, so we can make one out, is "competition." The radiations of competetiveness come mightily off of every page in his biography, where, it seemed, Bill Clinton's life was a perpetual campaign. They continue:

"Over three days, the concept was to get the world's movers and shakers to agree on ideas to alleviate poverty, use religion to avoid conflicts, tackle climate change, and improve governance. As Bill Clinton said: 'In just three days, we can begin to make a world of difference.'"

That sounds like the old Clintonian campaign spirit coming back. If one can't be Secretary General (Republican President and Republican Congress), then --goddam it -- one can leverage one's status and DIY. Further:

"If only there had been such sunny optimism at the UN, where everything seemed in place to enact historic reforms: a broad consensus the UN needed to change, a framework written by the Secretary-General, a big occasion - its 60th anniversary - and an audience; more than 150 world leaders. You would have expected something big: a new UN designed to reflect and confront the problems of the world; eradication of poverty, environmental sustainability, nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

"Instead, the 'outcomes document' advanced none of these issues."

Enter, the CGI; and enter Bill Clinton, the Secretary General of the UN, at Large (in waiting)?