One Nation Plays the Great Game Alone
IF anyone in the United Nations still believed that the United States sees itself as part of the family of nations, and not as its patriarch, last week may have come as a rude awakening.

First, to the great dismay of its closest European allies, the Bush administration threatened to block all United Nations peacekeeping missions as they come up for renewal unless American peacekeepers are granted immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, which came into being on Monday.

The allies responded with howls of outrage, accusing the United States of trying to stand above international law and promoting double standards. Then, reports surfaced in Washington that planning for a large-scale invasion of Iraq had reached an advanced stage _ even though most European governments have cautioned against such an invasion and none of the nations that would be expected to assist American troops as staging areas have been formally consulted.

In fact, as last week's events point up, a double standard is precisely what the Bush administration is pursuing. As the world's lone superpower, the United States is increasingly the main guarantor of global security and economic well-being, administration officials contend. To treat it like any other country would defy reality, they say.

M R. BUSH'S more confrontational approach could alienate America's allies even as Washington looks to them for help in the war on terrorism. For all its power, the United States still needs the military bases, ports and air fields, fuel supplies and overflight rights that only its allies can provide. No invasion of Iraq would be possible without those things _ and angering its allies over the International Criminal Court will not help the Bush administration get them, critics contend.

"Even if Bush succeeds through bullying to get what he wants on the I.C.C. where Clinton failed through diplomacy, this is likely to be a Pyrrhic victory," said Ivo Daalder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who worked for the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.

"It's not just about who wins, but also about how you win," he added.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/06/weekinreview/07dao.html