Dan Coats: “the occasion of Ambassador Albright's imminent confirmation as Secretary of State raises some deep concerns regarding…”

“the occasion of Ambassador Albright's imminent confirmation as Secretary of State raises some deep concerns regarding this administration's foreign policy. While I believe there is much to be admired about Ambassador Albright--she has a reputation as a frank and forthright speaker, who is able to articulate forcibly her views--I have deep reservations about what I believe is her flawed philosophy of the role of U.S. forces in the conduct foreign policy. As our U.N. Ambassador over the last 4 years, Mrs. Albright has consistently articulated an alarming vision of post-cold-war foreign policy. It is one which designates the United Nations as the world's guarantor of peace and in so doing seeks to subjugate United States' interests to this world body. In June 1993, she articulated the concept of assertive multilateralism as a way of responding to internal political and economic turmoil, defiant regimes, and failed societies in countries around the globe. The United States would act primarily as a part of the United Nations to respond to crises throughout the world. Fundamental to this premise is the belief that every conflict, every disaster will eventually impact the United States and is therefore in our interests to intervene, militarily, to intervene. The United Nations as the instrument of this collective security calls the shots and the United States responds by sending troops.…”