The View From the Bush Administration

Condi Rice has a reputation for toughness, and she lived up to it as she broke the news to the rest of the world that the U.S. was walking away from Kyoto. When one diplomat complained that the American move would set back the fight against global warming for 5 or 10 years, she cooly replied, "Even more reason not have the U.S. prolonging this protocol as if it were going to come to some reasonable conclusion." Translation: "Save your breath."

Rice, who is Bush's National Security Advisor and shares responsibility for coordinating global environmental strategy, has borne much of the challenge of explaining U.S. policy changes under the new regime. It's not an easy job in an administration that gives the impression it will do what it likes—regardless of what the rest of the world thinks. In just two months in office, Bush and his team have abandoned U.S. accession to the International Criminal Court, cast doubt on U.S. committment to an agreement with North Korea, and let it be known that they are ready to abrogate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty.

How do you make such moves seem like multilateralism? Simple: talk about working together, even if you have no intention of doing so. But talk of cooperation can't always conceal unilateralism. What Rice and others have been telling foreign officials about Kyoto is that there isn't support for the treaty in the U.S. They point to opposition on Capitol Hill as evidence, but pressed on whether that's the reason the U.S. is backing out, Rice tells TIME a different story. "We're not hiding behind Congress," she says. "We think Congress is right." So when she says "There wasn't support in the U.S.," she really means, "The president doesn't support it"—which means the U.S. will do what it likes.

But Rice realizes that the U.S. is getting a bad name and wants to reassure allies and adversaries alike that the U.S. doesn't intend to go it completely alone. "Perhaps we should have given them more warning," she says. "We recognize that we need to consult on how to move forward." And if other countries don't like what they hear in "consultation" with the U.S.? "We will disagree with our allies from time to time," says Rice. Translation: "Save your breath."