Sir, - Many people were genuinely shocked when a White House spokesman declared that the US was not the policeman of the world and that it was not in the US's vital interests to intervene in East Timor.
It is time that we recognised that economic and geo-political interests dictate the foreign policy of the "great powers". We should be thankful for this frank declaration by the US of the fundamental aims of its foreign policy, especially as regards East Timor. It was only last weekend that it declared that it was suspending military sales to Indonesia. Mr Blair reluctantly followed suit. US and British taxpayers have helped to arm Indonesia to the hilt. The savage repression in East Timor and in Indonesia itself was and is impossible without British and US armaments.
Equally, how can NATO and its offspring Partnership for Peace be concerned for the ideals of justice or peace when the "great" powers and their vital interests dominate them?
The only way forward is to strengthen the United Nations. On the 50th anniversary of the UN, many proposals for reform were put forward by members, including Ireland. These included the widening of membership of the Security Council with the dilution or elimination of the veto of the five "great powers". Yet nothing was done. It is not the lack of money that emasculates the UN, but the fear of the "great powers" that their economic and geo-political power will be curtailed and made answerable to the rest of the world.
Many people who should know differently are now blaming the UN for not acting on East Timor and one Irish Sunday newspaper entitled an editorial "The sham that is the UN". If the UN has become a sham it is because it has been deliberately emasculated by the "great powers", in particular, the US. If the ideals of the UN founders were fostered and enshrined in world structures, the "great powers" could not pursue their naked self interests on a global level.
Democratically elected governments such as Guatemala in 1954 and Chile in 1973 could not and would be overthrown. The sovereignty of a country such as Tibet would not have had to be respected. History should teach us that we cannot depend on world powers and their military organisations to promote democracy, citizen freedoms and global justice. The usurpation of UN authority by regional military organisations is the latest tactic by the dominant world powers to further emasculate the UN.
Small nations such as Ireland will be very foolish to believe that their interests will be served by aligning themselves with the "great powers" and their military organisations. A fully democratised world body such as the UN is where our interests and security will be served. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan Butler, Pennock Hill, Swords, Co Dublin.