March 30, 2004
You're Fired
Taking a cue from 'The Apprentice', Annan does his best Trump impression...
Kofi Annan announced the forced resignation (read: firing) of one staff member, and the demotion of another, involved in the failed security around the UN Baghdad compound that resulted in 22 fatalities from a car bombing in August 2003.
The head of security was decried as he "appeared to be blinded by the conviction that UN personnel and installations would not become a target of attack". This unfortunate mindset is mirrored in other places, namely Europe, that somehow believes that the 'bad guys' make a distinction between the United States, who some thought were 'legitimate' targets for terror, and the UN, who would somehow be shielded by a magical miasma of international legitimacy (again something they think the United States lacks).
In attempting to break the irony meter, the statement read, and I amazingly quote, "Their combined response to the issue indicates a lethargy that is bordering on gross negligence."
This is strong criticism from an organization and UN leadership that brought us such hits as "Oil for Food", "Genocide in Rwanda", and "Saddam Is Just Alright". This strikingly new standard for behavior from the UN would indicate the other 9,000 some employees under Annan are on notice:
Limit your gross negligence to non-security matters.
Posted by MEC2 at March 30, 2004 08:52 AM