The UN's Place in Global Policy
Andrew at Bound by Gravity has made some interesting points about the UN, and I just like to take the opportunity to chime in with my two cents.
In his post, both he and Balbulican take the position that the UN is an organisation that can or should be "doing" something about the current tragedy in Southeast Asia. I believe that they are missing the obvious - the UN doesn't "do" most of the things it takes credit for, and despite the best intentions of well-meaning member states and individual UN sympathisers, it never will.
The UN is a forum for endless discussion, for hashing out comprimises that last three weeks, and for blaming everything on Israel. Taking contributions and giving directions from the rear aren't "doing" things. All of the heavy lifting in the tsunami disaster is being and will continue to be done by individual member states, with or without the UN's "leadership".
Note that the Kofi Annan's first response to the disaster is to convene a conference. Because that sort of thing is crucial in the first hours of a disaster, when people are dying of thirst and disease caused by contamination. Note how the UN is already taking credit for work done by USAID, while simultaneously decrying the Americans for working outside of the UN. This is what the UN does - talk shops, hand wringing, blaming problems on others and taking credit for the good it didn't do. (See all of the excellent posts at Diplomad for details.)
I believe that Balbulican is correct, that human civilization is approaching a point where we need global institutions. But the UN is not such an institution - it is too corpulent, corrupt and self-interested to adequately serve as the basis for a global government.
There have been rumblings in the past year or so concerning the creation of a League of Democratic Nations. Membership is contingent on being a mature, self-sustaining democracy. I think this would be a better choice as a prototype for world government.
In his post, both he and Balbulican take the position that the UN is an organisation that can or should be "doing" something about the current tragedy in Southeast Asia. I believe that they are missing the obvious - the UN doesn't "do" most of the things it takes credit for, and despite the best intentions of well-meaning member states and individual UN sympathisers, it never will.
The UN is a forum for endless discussion, for hashing out comprimises that last three weeks, and for blaming everything on Israel. Taking contributions and giving directions from the rear aren't "doing" things. All of the heavy lifting in the tsunami disaster is being and will continue to be done by individual member states, with or without the UN's "leadership".
Note that the Kofi Annan's first response to the disaster is to convene a conference. Because that sort of thing is crucial in the first hours of a disaster, when people are dying of thirst and disease caused by contamination. Note how the UN is already taking credit for work done by USAID, while simultaneously decrying the Americans for working outside of the UN. This is what the UN does - talk shops, hand wringing, blaming problems on others and taking credit for the good it didn't do. (See all of the excellent posts at Diplomad for details.)
I believe that Balbulican is correct, that human civilization is approaching a point where we need global institutions. But the UN is not such an institution - it is too corpulent, corrupt and self-interested to adequately serve as the basis for a global government.
There have been rumblings in the past year or so concerning the creation of a League of Democratic Nations. Membership is contingent on being a mature, self-sustaining democracy. I think this would be a better choice as a prototype for world government.
posted by Marty at 11:56 AM
1 Comments:
I believe during the cold war era the UN forfilled a role among the Superpowers of West and East - it became a neutral battleground where Nations could talk - whether behind the scenes or in the forum but since the cold war ended it has become increasingly obsolete.
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