The United Nations

I have watched the events unfolding in the United Nations over the last few weeks. With Venezuala’s President Hugo Chevaz and his outbursts against the USA, and the USA’s reaction, I have wondered what the United Nations is all about.

If the comments coming from politicians, organisations and individuals within the USA were to be taken seriously, the United Nations would appear to be nothing more than a renegade US Government agency. Comments like withdrawing funding, moving the UN headquarters to another non-US location, to vetoing every motion put before the UN till the USA gets its way, makes me wonder on what the future of the UN should be.

The United Nations was founded shortly after World War 2 as a means of bringing the nations of the world together, and hopefully prevent another world war from breaking out. Previous attempts like the League of Nations had failed. With the decolonisation of Africa and Asia, the United Nations became a more representative body of the peoples of the world, more than any other organisation. Today, the United Nations has over 180 member nations encompassing practically every single country on our small planet. Regardless of size, population and wealth, they each have an equal vote in the General Assembly, giving each and every one an equal say.

Overseeing the General Assembly is the Security Council with its five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members. The Security Council’s five permanent members[ USA, Russia, China, France and the UK] were given the right to veto any action which they deemed necessary. It was hoped that the five permanent members would be benevolant and just in their actions and vetos.

Unfortunately, and this applies to all five permanent members, they have used this right to block any action which they considered to be harmful to their own national interests, even if it meant their veto resulted in countless of deaths elsewhere on our planet.

It is true that the USA funds approximately 25% of the United Nations’ operating costs. However, this in my opinion, does not mean that the UN must agree and abide by every decision that the USA makes. Nor does it mean that other nations do not have the right to voice their opinions and views on matters before the General Assembly.

Far from it. The United Nations is the perfect body for any nation to express how they feel, whether we like what they say or they don’t.

If the USA withheld its funding to the United Nations, what would be the impact? Would it sway the rest of the world towards supporting the USA’s point of view? No. Will it become more pro-USA? No. What it would achieve is further anti-American feelings from countries which not only currently dislike the USA, but also from those that are truly non-alligned.

Further, rather than a kneejerk reaction from the USA, they should also consider what else may happen. How would the USA feel if the extra funding for the UN suddenly started pouring in from countries like Iran, which are not only oil-rich but also anti-US. Is this what the USA wants? A United Nations funded by extremist countries?

The USA unfortunately needs to do some serious internal re-assessing. Not in terms of its funding to the United Nations, but its role within the entire world community. Whilst our planet was gripped in the middle of the Cold War, it was appropriate for the USA to be the liberator and freedom fighter for the world’s enslaved nations. When the Cold War ended, and the USA emerged as the major and practically sole world power, it needed to refocus itself into becoming the world peace maker.

That unfortunately never happened, and that is the reason so many countries today are so anti-USA. Not because of its wealth, military power and influence, but because the USA has not evolved as the rest of the world has.

If the USA wants the United Nations to be more “friendly” towards them, they need to be seen to be more non-partial. The world needs to see that when a war breaks out, the USA tries to find a solution to the problem, not simply support one side against the other, as was the case with the Israeli/Hezbollah situation in Lebanon.

It is a matter of “world image”, and unfortunately the USA is seeing as a biased country which supports its selected group of friendly nations and pushing it’s own political agenda against the rest of the world. Change that image and the USA will find the United Nations more accomodating to the USA and its needs. Lest we forget, the United Nations is THE global forum for the world’s nations and not just a invitation-only organisation.

Cripple and/or destroy the United Nations and you take away the sole forum the world has to discuss issues that impact every single human being on this planet. And if that happens, where is humanity left?

Think about it.

James

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