The poster on the right side of this post (thanks Protest Warrior) pretty much sums up my feelings toward the United Nations in the present. While I feel that I agree with the basic idea of the United Nations, I feel that what we have today is not representative of the idea. This is something I have expressed before, but I feel the need to broaden my points and give some basis for what the UN should look like.

Now, the body that was created with the ideals of promoting peace after World War II is sixty years old, ineffective and riddled with scandal. It has tried, and been miserably ineffective at being a world government (thank God) and is run by dictatorships, giving it little legitimacy in the eyes of those who fund it (the United States). One would think that with the recess appointment of John Bolton, George W. Bush is committed to reforming this rotting world body, but Bolton has been quiet. The leading voice on UN reform seems to be former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, now leading the Oil-For-Food probe that winds its way through the organization like a terminal disease.

For once, Congress actually has their heads on straight, with the House passing the United Nations Reform Act of 2005 which would lower or withhold funding if reforms were not taken:

"The United Nations today is a far cry from the institution that its founders envisioned," Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said. "It is a tragic fact that numerous scandals have characterized the U.N. over the past decade and they are no accident.

Money is the mother's milk of politics, and it seems that this is the best way to force the UN to reform. Right now, it seems obvious that the UN is broken, as this movie will attest to, but how to fix it?

First, the name. Don't try to fool people into thinking that the world is somehow 'united.' This is almost as ironic now as it was during the Cold War. It should also be reflective of the new purpose of this international body.

Second, narrow the focus. Right now, the UN tries to do too much, and fails at everything. Here is what the new focus should be: disaster relief, peacekeeping, fostering international cooperation, but not coercion. Stop trying to be a world government. No one really wants that, as nations see their sovergnty already in too much jeopardy to rationally give up any more (like the God-awfull Law of the Sea Treaty).

That brings me to my final major point on United Nations reform reboot. It should simply be a World Forum; a place where nations can come to discuss what is going on, and try and to work on solutions between states. It would have no binding authority in its resolutions, and would mainly foster bilateral or multilateral treaties between states themselves. It would also refer nations to the IMF and World Bank, which do a much better job of relief, especially when it comes to trying to fix the sources of debt.

So that's it. Elimitate the UN. Back to the drawing board. Make the World Forum. Anything more will become the UN within a matter of time.

Posted by Ryan S. on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at 4:17 PM | Permalink |