Respecting the “Security” of a Dictatorship

The standoff between the United States and North Korea over the Asian nation’s nuclear ambitions could escalate into war, a U.N. envoy warned Thursday. [Maurice] Strong, a special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said he believed North Korea was “prepared to go to war if they believe the security and the integrity of their nation is really threatened, and they do.” [Associated Press, 4/4/03]

Note the typical neutrality of the UN with respect to dictatorships: “security” is not a proper way to refer to the maintenance of a bloodthirsty tyrannical regime.