Military Regime Hosts a Party for John Bolton

Created: November 12, 2009 12:13 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

Mark Leon Goldberg reports that John Bolton, the Bush administration’s former ambassador to the United Nations, has a new book out. It’s called ConUNdrum — get it? — and apparently continues Bolton’s quest to shave several more floors from the U.N.’s Turtle Bay offices. But what’s more interesting, Goldberg reports, is who’s throwing book parties for the guy. Specifically, the representatives of military juntas:

Fiji’s UN Ambassador, Berenado Vunibobo. He hosted a book launch for Bolton and [co-author Brett] Shaefer at the end of October.

This raises eyebrows, shall we say, because Fiji has been under military rule since since December 2006, when Commodore Bainimarama toppled the government. Since then, Human Rights Watch reports that Bainimarama has consolidated his power and detained political opponents. Fijian troops are even barred from participating in UN Peacekeeping missions. And, just last week, the self-appointed Bainimarama expelled top diplomats from Australia and New Zealand who criticized his regime.

Remember this the next time someone — oh, John McCain, I’m looking to you — pretends that the Bush administration was ever genuinely interested in human rights. In fairness to Bolton, he never bought in to that flimsy pretext for flexing American military power.