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Cato Daily Dispatch for October 24, 2002

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U.S. Gives U.N. New Iraq Proposal
Education Dept. Letter Tells State Educators to Follow Act
Jiang Optimistic Talks with Bush will Reap 'Positive Results'

U.S. Gives U.N. New Iraq Proposal

Pushing ahead on Iraq after weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the United States put its tough new proposal into the hands of the Security Council in preparation for a vote that could come as early as next week, reports the Associated Press.

Russia appeared to be the main obstacle early on, rejecting the draft chiefly due to language that could trigger military action against Iraq. But France, which has similar objections and was a vocal opponent of earlier U.S. offerings, was ready to negotiate and wouldn't block the resolution's passage, French diplomats said.

The U.S. proposal, drafted with British support, gives U.N. inspectors broad new powers to search and destroy material related to weapons of mass destruction and warns Iraq of "serious consequences" if it obstructs their work. British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said the text "is very clearly intended to be a last chance offer to Iraq."

Charles V. Peņa, senior defense policy analyst, made the following statement today in regards to the new draft: "For the moment, the Bush administration appears to be caught between Iraq and a hard place. The latter being the United Nations. Ultimately, U.S. security should not be held hostage to multilateral consensus. If there is indeed a clear and present danger to the United States, the U.S. government has a responsibility and is justified to act. However, in the case of Iraq, the Bush administration has not made the case that the threat posed by Iraq is imminent or that Iraq cannot be deterred now and in the future."

Education Dept. Letter Tells State Educators to Follow Act

According to The New York Times, the Education Department sent a blistering warning to school commissioners across the country yesterday, calling educators who try to sidestep the intent of President Bush's signature education act, No Child Left Behind, "enemies of equal justice and equal opportunity," and vowing, "they will not succeed."

The letter praised state education commissioners who were trying to carry out the law, which sets ambitious goals for recruiting qualified teachers in the neediest schools and eliminating disparities in achievement among whites, blacks, and Hispanics while giving children in chronically failing schools the option of transferring.

But after a month of meetings to discuss the law with some 40 state school chiefs, Education Secretary Rod Paige appeared to draw battle lines. Dr. Paige brushed aside complaints from local officials that Washington had been slow in giving guidance on the law and warned that the administration would strike back at efforts to dilute the law's impact.

In "New Education Bill Offers False Hope," David Salisbury, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom, argues that the education act will do little to help students because of failing public schools. "Mostly, the bill allows the federal government to further usurp the authority of local communities to run their own schools," writes Salisbury.

Jiang Optimistic Talks with Bush will Reap 'Positive Results'

Chinese President Jiang Zemin toasted U.S.-China relations yesterday and said he expected "positive results" from upcoming talks with President Bush during a three-day visit to Texas, Reuters reports.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet at the president's ranch in Crawford tomorrow for talks on topics ranging from North Korea's newly disclosed nuclear weapon program to Bush's proposed action against Iraq.

"I'm confident the meeting (with Bush) will generate positive results and help move forward our relationship," Jiang said to applause from the audience at a luxury Houston hotel.

"A friendly and cooperative relationship between China and the United States will not only generate great benefits for the two peoples, but also contribute in a positive way to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Cato Institute Vice President for Academic Affairs James Dorn issued the following statement in reaction to Jiang's visit: "The primary goal of U.S. foreign policy should be to further the liberalization trend in China by maintaining a cooperative, constructive relationship," said Dorn. "The most direct means for achieving that goal is through closer trade ties."

In an Oct. 9 Asian Wall Street Journal article, Dorn wrote, "Continued trade liberalization and engagement on a number of fronts, including a more liberal visa policy that permits Chinese students to study in the U.S., especially in the fields of law, economics, and the humanities, will have positive long-term benefits. So long as individuals pose no threat to America's national security they should be encouraged to experience its free society firsthand."

Jonathan Block, editor, jblock@cato.org