Saturday, September 26, 2009

Understand the UN--It Is Thugsville

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On December 16, 2004, while addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized again the liberal, leftist line that the United Nations is not only central to dealing with global threats, but is “The only universal instrument that can bring states together in such a global effort”.

What a joke! By its own reckoning, the UN has failed in peace making, peace keeping, and conflict resolution. Sadly, it has become a weapon and a shield for the world’s dictators. It is thus corrupt to the core.
All dictators are not the same. Some are simply thugs who hide behind their guns and goons while they murder their captive citizens, condone extreme torture (a few even approve slavery and rape), and loot their country’s wealth and resources for personal gain, for power, for an ideology, or for a religion. At the present time, there are forty-three totalitarian thug regimes (rated unfree by Freedom House). These, along with the more moderate sixty partly free, but sympathetic and collaborative regimes, dominate the UN. They now defeat its mission, and have singled out one nation, Israel, for the UN’s venom, with the U.S. not far behind. Anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism are the rule.

Of course, Barack Obama, with his inclination to appease dictators (actual or potential), defers to the UN, embracing it as part of his plans for global socialism, peace, disarmament, and nuclear nonproliferation.

I have arrived at this conclusion about the UN reluctantly, for I was its enthusiastic supporter early on.
What’s to be done? I don’t suggest withdrawal. The UN has too many useful functions, serves as a neutral forum for contact and communication between adversaries or enemies. When there is general agreement on conflicts, interventions, peacekeeping, refugees, humanitarian aid, sanctions, criminal tribunals, human rights, and so on, the UN does help save lives and promote human welfare and security.

Nonetheless, given the UN’s overall record, when millions have perished from war, democide, famine, and poverty, the good of the organization is undermined by its dictatorship members. Two things should be done. First, a democratic-nation-only-caucus should deal with all issues before the UN. Such a caucus now exists, but is still in its teething stage. It is all but invisible. But, it must be front and center in all UN debates and resolutions.

Second, we need an international governmental organization of all democracies to deal with issues on which the UN cannot or will not act, particularly the promotion of peace, human security, human rights, and democracy. I have written on such an Alliance of Democracies, and need not say more here. Given the UN’s problems, the need for such an organization is obvious. It would buttress the UN when it acts to promote democratic values, but, if it fails to do so, particularly because of dictatorship opposition, then the Alliance would be most useful.

There is already growing movements and governmental activities toward such an Alliance. Democratic activists, practitioners, academics, policy makers, and funders, have come together to cooperate in the organized international promotion of democracy. They call this a World Movement for Democracy. It has its own website, on line publications, DemocracyNews,
courses, a steering committee, secretariat, and periodic assemblies. It now needs strong public support, and especially a formal way to deal with global issues.

Down with thug regimes and their UN power. Democracies of the world, unite.

1 comment:

  1. Nice read.

    Hopefully the momentum will accelerate via feedback as more democracies appear on the world stage. That large arab bloc seems like a tough nut to crack though.

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