Nikki Haley Says She Shares John Bolton’s ‘Disdain’ for U.N.

By Mairead McArdle

Friday, April 06, 2018

U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley said Thursday that she shares new White House national security advisor John Bolton’s disdain for the United Nations.

“I know John Bolton well. I have gotten advice from him, I have talked to him. I know his disdain for the U.N. I share it,” Haley said at an event at Duke University in North Carolina. “I think we’re going to have a great working relationship.”

The hawkish Bolton is set to start Monday as President Trump’s replacement for ousted national security advisor H.R. McMaster. He had Haley’s job during the George W. Bush years and is famously contemptuous of the U.N bureaucracy. He once said it would make no difference if ten floors were removed from the international body’s New York headquarters.

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As ambassador, Haley has, like Bolton, gained a reputation as a tough diplomat who puts America first and pulls no punches in negotiations. The former South Carolina governor has criticized the Iran nuclear deal and accused the U.N. Human Rights Council of grievous bias against Israel, as has her predecessor.

“When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, & Syria, it is the Council itself that is foolish and unworthy of its name,” Haley said in a statement last month, issued in response to the Council’s five resolutions condemning Israel. “Our patience is not unlimited. Today’s actions make clear that the organization lacks the credibility needed to be a true advocate for human rights.”