#20 BD - i remember when Daniel Patrick Moynihan said there should be a democratic bloc within the UNGA, to counter the communist and third world block. That began to happen, then the muslim countries broke with the reds on Afghanistan, and everything was hunky dory. After the reds fell, the UNGA got even better, repealing the Zionism is racism res for example.
Frankly as NATO has shown, the problem now is NOT the influence of non-democracies on world affairs, but the failure of the democracies to unite on pro democracy policy, and to see it as something of value to all of them, rather than to oppose it out of fear of the US hyperpower. Thats a lot of peoples fault - but i dont see changing the UN structure helping much.
AS - International law is made by treaties among nation states. The UN charter is one such treaty. That charter renders UNSC resolutions international law - NOT UNGA resolutions. As a power with the veto, the US has little reason to be concerned with resolutions we dont like. As for the failure to pass resolutions we do like, thats pretty silly - if there were no UN we wouldnt get them either. IF a group of democracies is interested in signing a treaty that say China, doesnt like, they are free to do so outside the UNSC.
The real problem is that some people claimed that outside of immediate self defense, you cant go to war without a UNSC resolution. This is not MY reading of the UN charter, and it isnt how most nations have conducted their affairs. The administration (divided against itself, i might add) chose to act as if that were true, only changing course when it became clear a second res after 1441 was impossible. IMHO that was clearly a mistake. We should have pointed out ALL ALONG that we had the right to go to war based on Saddams violations of the ceasefire that ended gulf war one, and that we had the right to make THAT ceasefire without authorization from the UN, as the right of Kuwait to self defense, and to help from others, was a preexisting right of states prior to and independent of the UN charter. But a certain Jim Baker suggested going to the UNSC instead, and Baker was close to George HWB. Some thought Baker could get a UNSC res with stuff in his briefcase. They were wrong. ANd the rest is history.
Mojo - the UN is useful in places that are NOT central to great power conflict, like Timor, Cambodia, etc. It may yet prove useful in Darfur. This was the case during the cold war as well. |
The Libyan minister also called for a transfer of key powers from the 15-member Security Council to the assembly. "Before we can talk about the lack of democracy in the world, we must first admit that it is lacking in the United Nations," he said. Mr Shalghem said that if powers were not transferred to the assembly, then the world should either "stop infusing money into this dead body" or enlarge the council's membership to include seats for the African Union, the Association of South-East Asian Nations and Latin America. The veto power held by the five permanent members would also need to be rethought, he said. A senior commission of experts is to deliver recommendations to Secretary-General Kofi Annan by the end of the year on United Nations reforms which will be agreed ahead of next September's 60th General Assembly ministerial meeting.