Building a world without nukes- "Obama has brought the world together"

Building a world without nukesThe UN security council's resolution on nuclear weapons is remarkable. Obama has brought the world together


Sam Rayburn used to say. "It takes a carpenter to build one." Officials in the Bush administration took an almost sadistic pleasure in tearing down the security institutions constructed by their predecessors. Their policies a disaster, they left America more isolated, with more serious conflicts and crises than at nearly any time in its history.

Barack Obama is now patiently rebuilding. Sometimes the new architecture is revealed in a burst, with a speech in Prague outlining the transformation of America's nuclear policy, or a speech in Cairo resetting America's relations with the Muslim world. But most often it moves slowly, like a carpenter carefully joining two planks. Nothing dramatic, until you pull back and look at the work accomplished over time and realise something new is rising. Other nations see this enterprise and, like good neighbours, are coming to help.

The past two days at the United Nations, culminating in a special UN security council session, have been remarkable. Obama consolidated international support for the nuclear agenda he first unveiled in Prague and embedded its principles in international law with the unanimous approval of a sweeping UN resolution.

"The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said. "And it brings security council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal."

Obama's opponents will predictably denounce the agreement as weak, naïve and dangerous. They get bonus points if they can work in "appeasement". Others will point out that this is just a paper pact. Obama understands these reactions. "We harbour no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons," he said. "We know there are plenty of cynics, and that there will be setbacks to prove their point. But there will also be days like today that push us forward – days that tell a different story."