Eyewitness in Bali: Bush delegation shamed into joining concensus

Although it's a little difficult from my current location to produce and move posts, this one is worth the extra effort.

David Sassoon sent this via email. His blog is Solve Climate and it's worth a good look around. His latest post is a chronicling of the events which led to the somewhat watered-down concensus reached by the G-77 at the Bali UN climate change conference. The whole post is a "must read" but this part stands out.

The headlines from Bali are reporting that agreement for a road map for future progress on climate action has been reached. What is not being reported is how the assembled nations of the world confronted the isolated Bush delegation and humbled it into agreement. [...]

And then it was the turn of the United States. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, with only the absolute bare minimum of diplomatic language, stated flatly that the United States rejected the changes. It was not prepared to accept the G-77 text.

Then occurred one of the most remarkable sounds that has perhaps ever been heard in the annals of international diplomacy--like a collective global groan--descending then to a murmer, then increasing in volume to a full-throated expression of rage and anger and booing and jeering, lasting for a full minute, so that finally the Minister had to call the meeting back to order.

The assembled nations of the world, without the benefit of the once stalwart "honest broker" from North America, lashed out at the United States with full venom. They dropped the diplomatic gloves and called the U.S. position "unwelcome", "without basis" and told the U.S. "if you're not willing to lead, please get out of the way."

In short, the world is prepared to do whatever the collective nations assembled can and the U.S. can go to hell. Take your Canadian flunky with you.

Then the U.S. suddenly changed it's position and accepted the G-77 text. They had to be booed into it.

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