Has the UN outlived its relevance?

Yesterday, Cuba was reelected to the UN’s Human Rights Commission. Other countries relected include Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Nigeria.

Is there really any point to the UN other than being a dumping ground for unemployed relatives of 3rd World despots?

un.org/apps/news/story.asp?N … Cr1=rights

24 countries elected to UN human rights commission

29 April

I actually did some work at the UN in 1985 and believed that the organization was hopelessly bureaucratic. We used to spend most of the week partying out in Southhampton (during the 121 days of summer when I was there).

A lot of the UN public relations efforts would be to shame countries into giving more money while deflecting questions about how such monies were being spent with “Don’t you care about the poor? developing world? children? women? etc. etc.” when in reality, most delegates were very keen to keep their upper east side digs, cars, unpaid parking tickets, high per diems, etc. rather than be sent back to Luanda, Lusaka or Lagos. Corruption was rife as was theft, cronyism, embezzlement.

That said, what is the difference between the UN and a lot of other governments, agencies. Look at the health care systems in many countries, public school systems in the US and other countries, etc. Many agencies are just as bad as the UN. Most public school administrations, departments waste 50 cents on the dollar. I am not sure how high it is for the UN but it varies at around 65 to 70 cents on the dollar in the agencies that I am familiar with (UNESCO), etc.

So do we need a UN? Or is it just another case of the “Road to Hell is paved with good intentions?” Seriously, many people talk about the UN, defending it as an “idea” when they have little to no knowledge about just what the organization is involved. Many nations are corrupt dictatorships that get equal votes to Western democracies which respect human rights. After 18 years of seeing some pretty pathetic things, I am forced to give it:

Both thumbs down!

Didn’t you staRT THIS THREAD BEFORE bLUEFACE? Or was it someone else? No need to have two threads dealing with exactly the same topic.

Brian

[quote=“Sir Donald Bradman”]Didn’t you staRT THIS THREAD BEFORE bLUEFACE? Or was it someone else? No need to have two threads dealing with exactly the same topic.

Brian[/quote]

Having trouble with your keyboard or are you drunk? If there’s another thread regarding the relevance of the UN and you know about it, why don’t you provide a link? As it is, you’re simply wasting electrons, aren’t you? :unamused:

No need to be an asshole, blueface, Sir Donald’s right. There was another thread not long ago with almost exactly the same title, but apparently it was deleted.

Points of Web site posting etiquette were not what I was hoping to see here. Actually I know a lot of people that support the UN. It seems to me that they do so because they “feel” that it is “good.”

What actually has the UN accomplished? at what cost? Who pays? etc.?

I am very down on the UN but would be happy to entertain positive news about what this overgrown Third World bureaucracy actually accomplishes. That’s why I could not help laughing when I had so many friends so earnestly saying that the UN must be the one to determine the legality of the US action against Iraq. Say what you will about going into Iraq, but the UN? There was a hilarious article a week or so ago in Newsweek where the writer said the only thing the UN is good at is keeping five star hotels in Third World Countries in business.

That is about my impression of the matter too. He pointed to the fact that wherever UN peacekeepers are, they tend to remain. The problem never goes away, from Cyprus to Bosnia to Kosovo, etc. etc. But when the bullets start flying, they are the first out as in Srebrenica and Israel prior to the invasions in 1967. Surely we can do better than this creaky old cow with pension hungry employees?

I could not help but agree with Hans Blix about the weapons inspections but in the back of my mind, I also remembered similar justifications when I was dealing with these people. They always need more time, more money, etc. but the usual priority is keeping their posh apartments on the Upper East Side and their very lucrative contracts. Sigh.

Who’s being an asshole? If there was a thread, then he could have linked to it. If it was deleted…what? It’s my fault? I realize you look upon me as being god-like…:laughing: