Now, as president, he insists others bow to whatever new rules are devised by his administration. He ignores understandings and consensus built up among many parties over many years. Bush's brand of rugged individualism is spawning wide opposition to America's leadership. Thus, Europeans joined Third World countries and China earlier this month to exclude the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Commission. This rebuff is probably just one of many snubs to come.
American unilateralism makes the worst of possible worlds more likely.
A true conservative would prolong and enhance the unipolar stability that took shape in the 1990s. If only to minimize costs, a conservative statesman would rely on persuasion and example to influence other nations and avoid needless offense to their sensitivities. Only when absolutely necessary would he go his own way or use brute strength to shape others' behavior. The Bush commitment to a Fortress America exemplifies his unilateralism. In its first 100 days, the Bush team treated the world's other nuclear giants as nonentities even though Russia can destroy much of the United States in just over 30 minutes, or sell its nuclear assets to others who might pose a threat to U.S. security.