McCain touts democratic alternative to the United Nations

Interesting idea from John McCain.  He is calling for a 'League of Democracies' to be formed as "the core of an international order of peace based on freedom".  The League will be interpreted by some as an alternative to the way George W Bush is (unfairly) perceived to have run a go-it-alone foreign policy.  It's probably more accurate to see John McCain's idea as a way of ensuring that action can be legitimised outside of the impossibly slow United Nations.  AP writes:

"Such a new body, he says, could help relieve suffering in Darfur, fight the AIDS epidemic in Africa, develop better environmental policies, and provide "unimpeded market access" to countries sharing "the values of economic and political freedom."  And, McCain adds, an organization of democracies could pressure tyrants "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval" and could "impose sanctions on Iran and thwart its nuclear ambitions" while helping struggling democracies succeed."

Read the Senator's full speech here.

Comments

[Yet Another Anon]

And, McCain adds, an organization of democracies could pressure tyrants "with or without Moscow's and Beijing's approval"
Such an organisation would also leave out quite a few British and US allies while keeping in some who while perhaps not enemies at this moment (such as France for example) certainly over the years haven't seen eye to eye on many things.

I think Coalitions of the Willing are the best way to go about these things and scrap the UN Security Council while retaining many other international organisations, the UN Security Council was a fix during the Cold War.

[Joanna]

Yet another Anon:

Which of these allies has any real power? We don't depend on Saudi Arabia, for example, for troops. You may be right, but at the moment I don't see it.