The Useless United Nations

I am no fan of the United Nations. Once upon a time, when I was young and naive and foolish, I used to think the UN, both in principle and in practice, was the closest thing we'd have to a world government, coming together to tackle the challenges faced by all humanity. Seeing its pathetic demise is even more sickening considering the number of people who still defend it as the holy grail of morality and international law.

As we speak, thousands are being murdered in the Darfur region of the Sudan, and what does the UN do? They send troops to a different part of the country. Clearly, they're more concerned about being seen to be doing something, than actually doing it. And as the bureaucrats shuffle their papers in New York, and peackepeers patrol the peaceful areas, a few miles away, more people die horrifying deaths.

It's not just the UN that's guilty, of course. No country has been willing to step in (including Canada, which, as usual, has issued lots of verbal reprimands). But one can't help but wonder, if this isn't exactly the sort of conflict that the UN is designed to intervene in, what is? And it's not like it's the first time! There was Kosovo. And Rwanda. So how many more times does large-scale genocide have to occur before these incompetents do something? Is there no humanitarian disaster which is massive enough to spur this red-tape ridden talking shop into action?

Reading the CBC's take is almost surreal. It's like some sort of sick joke. "UN peacekeepers headed to Sudan", reads the headline. Ah, sounds promising! And then the punchline, after the comma: "but not Darfur". And to hear these snivelling UN academics humming and hawing over what to do - as if there were something objectionable at issue ("should we save them, or let them die? Tough call!") - or as if they were talking about widgets or donuts or abstract theory, as opposed to living, breathing, human beings. But don't worry - they're going to take another look at it next week. I mean, fighting large-scale genocide can wait. After all, it's a long weekend. Priorities, priorities.

Here's Canada's ambassador to the UN, Allan Rock, with the understatement of the year:

[Rock] says the vote is disappointing. "I think someone in Darfur today could be forgiven for thinking that the UN has failed them."

You're right, Allan. I'm sure they do think something along those lines - if they can even think, busy as they are fearing for their lives. Although the UN can take comfort in the fact that by next week, they'll be absolved of any guilt that accumlates, because many of those with hard feelings toward the UN will have been slaughtered already.

I take no glee in saying that the United Nations is a failed organization. What is more disturbing is the unwillingness of many commentators to admit as much - because denial hinders any possibility of change. The UN requires a complete overhaul in order to salvage any useful function it could possibly serve - and even then it will still be a sclerotic, top-heavy, inefficient body. In the meantime, countries like Canada should put their money where their mouths are and intervene - using force where necessary - to put an end to this genocide.