Criticism and controversies
See also: China and the United Nations, Israel and the United Nations, Soviet Union and the United Nations, and United States and the United Nations
[edit] Security Council
The United Nations has been criticized as unable to act in a clear and decisive way when confronted with a crisis. Recent examples include the Iranian nuclear program and the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Because each of the five permanent members of the Security Council have a veto, and because they often disagree, many times no action can be agreed upon. Typically but not always this division includes the United States on one side with either China, Russia or both on the other. Other times the Security Council has been able to agree but lacks the will or means to enforce its resolutions. A recent example is the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Crisis, where no action has been taken to enforce the provisions of Resolutions 1559 and Resolution 1701 to disarm non-governmental militias such as Hezbollah. Critics question the effectiveness and relevance of the Security Council because there usually are no consequences for violating a Security Council resolution. See Reform of the United Nations Security Council.
[edit] Human Rights oversight
Inclusion on the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) of nations, such as Sudan and Libya, whose leaderships have demonstrably abysmal records on human rights,[25][26] and also Libya's chairmanship of this Commission, has been in the past an issue. These countries, however, argued that Western countries, whom they accused of colonialist aggression and brutality, had no right to argue about membership of the Commission.
However on 15 March 2006 the General Assembly passed a resolution creating a new body - the United Nations Human Rights Council – to replace the Commission. The body has stricter rules for peacekeeping membership including a universal human rights review and an dramatic increase in the number of nations needed to elect a candidate to the body, from election-by-regional-slate on the 53-member Economic and Social Council to fully one-half of the 192 members of the General Assembly.
9 May 2006 saw the elections of 47 new members to the Council. While some governments with poor records were elected, such as China, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan, the worst rights violators did not make it onto the new Council:
• States shunned by rights groups: Syria, North Korea, Belarus, and Burma
• States which had been members of the Commission: Zimbabwe, Sudan, Nepal, and Libya
• States which ran but did not receive enough votes: Iran, Venezuela, Thailand, Iraq, and Kyrgyzstan
Due to the changes in membership between the Commission and the Council, the number of states deemed "Not Free" by Freedom House was more than halved.[27][28][29]
[edit] Bureaucratic inefficiency
The U.N. has been accused of inefficiency and waste due to its cumbersome and excessive bureaucracy. During the 1990s the United States, currently the largest contributor to the U.N., gave this inefficiency as a reason for withholding their dues. The repayment of the dues was made conditional on a major reforms initiative. In 1994 the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was established by a ruling of the General Assembly to serve as an efficiency watchdog.[30] A reform program has been proposed, but has not yet approved by the General Assembly.[31][32]
[edit] Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitic Discrimination
See also: Israel and the United Nations
The United Nations has been accused of taking an extremely one-sided approach to Middle East issues and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[28][29][30]. These charges allege that Israel has been singled out by the world body for uniquely critical treatment. Unlike all other refugee groups, the Palestinians have their own agency within the United Nations (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) separate from the The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is otherwise responsible for global refugee crises. [31]
Israel was excluded from membership in any of the UN's regional groups until 2000; in effect, this meant Israel was forbidden from serving on UN bodies such as the Security Council. Israel's recent permission to participate more fully within the UN as a member of the Western European and Others regional group is temporary and subject to renewal. Israel is permitted only to participate in the New York operations of the UN and is excluded from the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna which handle such issues as human rights and arms control. Censure of Israel has been instituted as a routine agenda item for various UN bodies such as the Human Rights Council.
[edit] Oil-for-Food scandal
See also: Oil-for-Food Programme
The Oil-for-Food Programme was established by the UN in 1996. Its purpose was to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs of ordinary Iraqi citizens who were affected by international economic sanctions, without allowing the Iraqi government to rebuild its military in the wake of the first Gulf War. It was discontinued in late 2003 amidst allegations of widespread abuse and corruption. The former director, Benon Sevan of Cyprus, first was suspended, then resigned from the UN, as an interim progress report of a UN-sponsored investigation led by Paul Volcker concluded that Sevan had accepted bribes from the Iraqi regime, and recommended that his UN immunity be lifted to allow for a criminal investigation.[33]
Under UN auspices, over $65 billion worth of Iraqi oil was sold on the world market. Officially, about $46 billion was used for humanitarian needs. Additional revenue paid for Gulf War reparations through a Compensation Fund, UN administrative and operational costs for the Programme (2.2%), and the weapons inspection programme (0.8%).
Also implicated in the scandal was Kofi Annan's son Kojo Annan, alleged to have illegally procured UN Oil-for-Food contracts on behalf of the Swiss company Cotecna. India's foreign minister, Natwar Singh, was removed from office because of his role in the scandal.
The Australian government set up the Cole Inquiry in November 2005 to investigate whether the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) breached any laws with its contracts with Iraq during the Oil-for-Food Programme. AWB paid Saddam Hussein's regime almost $300 million, through a front company called 'Alia', to secure wheat contracts to Iraq. Australia's Prime Minister (John Howard), Deputy Prime Minister (Mark Vaile), and Foreign Minister (Alexander Downer) denied knowing about such bribes when they were called to testify before the inquiry. It has been suggested that although the Australian Government did not monitor AWB effectively enough to stop the bribes, the UN should have been more forceful in requesting the Australian Government to investigate. The Cole Inquiry is scheduled to report on 24 November 2006.[34]
[edit] UN Peacekeepers rape accusations in Congo and Haiti
In December 2004, during the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, at least 68 cases of alleged rape, prostitution and pedophilia and more than 150 other allegations have been uncovered by UN investigators, all perpetrated by UN peacekeepers, specifically ones from Pakistan, Uruguay, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa and Nepal. Peacekeepers from 3 of those nations are also accused of obstructing the investigation [32]. Also, A French UN logistics expert in Congo was also charged of rape and child pornography in the same month [33].
The BBC reported that young girls were abducted and raped by UN peacekeerps in Port-au-Prince.[34]
Bolton
- Thread starter BonosSaint
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Canadiens1131
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 10,363
I don't really want to read an entire copy/paste from Wikipedia and I doubt you read any of it either beyond a paragraph.
EDIT Although, by reading the headings of each scandalous issue, note that you can apply those specific scandals to most any country doing international work around the globe.
EDIT Although, by reading the headings of each scandalous issue, note that you can apply those specific scandals to most any country doing international work around the globe.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
I hope you read the rest of the page as well.
Varitek
Blue Crack Addict
Justin24 said:
The UN isn't worthless. It might be worthless as a tool of US foreign policy, and it might not always be successful as a moderated forum for world affairs, but the UN is also tens of organizations dedicated to word health, development, children, and other great causes. These organizations are doing important work that wouldn't otherwise get done, or would get done in a more redundant, less efficient, less cooperative way.
Canadiens1131
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 10,363
Criticism and controversies
Security Council
http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
Human Rights oversight
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2237301.stm
Bureaucratic inefficiency
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4216508.stm
Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitic Discrimination
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2582637.stm
UN Peacekeepers rape accusations in Congo and Haiti
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5162976.stm
But I digress....
Security Council
http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
Human Rights oversight
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2237301.stm
Bureaucratic inefficiency
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4216508.stm
Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitic Discrimination
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2582637.stm
UN Peacekeepers rape accusations in Congo and Haiti
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5162976.stm
But I digress....
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Justin24 said:
So you read the whole page and didn't see anything good about the UN?
No. It's a shadow government full of farse (or how ever you spell it.) They dont really care like most countries until millions are dead or dying and someone brings it to there attention. Look at Rwanda 800,000 dead for what????? The UN was in Rwanda but turned there backs except Lt-Gen. Roméo Dallaire of the Netherlands.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
So the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, World Food Programme, The UN population fund which has reduced infant mortality, helping eliminate smallpox, etc... all these things are bad?Justin24 said:
It's not a government.Justin24 said:
Justin24 said:
What do you mean by "they don't really care like most countries"?
BonoVoxSupastar said:
So the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, World Food Programme, The UN population fund which has reduced infant mortality, helping eliminate smallpox, etc... all these things are bad?
It's not a government.
What do you mean by "they don't really care like most countries"?
1. If they cared so much about human rights then there not doing a very good job at protecting it. ( they need to fix that problem real fast)
2. It is a government (Bodies of government) who tell people that if they dont listen there will be sanctions etc..
3. I meant Like most if not all the UN is dispicable. They dont care, about anyone (see #1) they care about the US not paying it's monthly fee, yet we pay the most and give the most aid out of any of the other UN members.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
You didn't answer the question.Justin24 said:
The UN is not a government!!!Justin24 said:
Justin24 said:
BonoVoxSupastar said:
You didn't answer the question.
The UN is not a government!!!
1. Is it bad (no) but is it corrupt yes. Does it need fixing yes but by the same people, hell no. dismantle the UN and create something else.
2. Well it sure acts like it. It has it's own army, ambassadors etc... So how can it not be a government. When it is.
3
??
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Justin24 said:
But that was you whole premise, that it's never done any good.
Those programs you mention are "sponsored by the UN" and all they do is throw money at it.
All I want is for the UN to relocate some where else and for the US to remove it self from this brotherhood of disaster.
All I want is for the UN to relocate some where else and for the US to remove it self from this brotherhood of disaster.
Varitek
Blue Crack Addict
Justin24 said:
First of all, Dallaire is Canadian. Canadiens, I can't believe you havent' corrected him yet. Second of all, at least the UN was in Rwanda at all. They represent the world's only peacekeeping force and the Security Council countries blocked extra funding and nobody wanted to send more troops after the Interhamwe cleverly beheaded several blue helmets. You hear about the peacekeepers' failures but you dont hear about 80+ other successful missions. Besides, if the UN didn't exist at all, wouldn't the 800,000 be dead, or more? You can't exactly lay blame on the UN, even if the world could have done more to stop it, the UN mitigated the genocide a little.
And grahically violent conflicts aren't the only thing that kills people. Again, the UN outlets for disease control and treatment, for food distribution, for development to create sustainable communities, those all chug along successfully. Sure they could be more successful with more funding and support, but at least there's something. And it's not just "throwing money" at it, there are statistics on the UN site about how much it has improved.
I was going to say, you can't ignore that, but apparently you continue to do so.
By the way, the Us is one of the countries that is delinquent on its dues, that doesn't sign treaties, etc. The UN, sure, isn't as effective as it could be. But part of the blame lies with the US for ignoring the UN until it's convenient for us.
Last edited:
Canadiens1131
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 10,363
The UN doesn't have an army 
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Once again no, please do some research.Justin24 said:
That would be completely counter productive.Justin24 said:
So basically you don't want any international organization what so ever? How would that help?
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Justin24 said:
NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Justin24 said:
You're not getting it...No one claimed they have magical powers and can stop everything.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Justin24 said:
Well when you put someone like Bolton in there you aren't going to accomplish shit.
verte76
Blue Crack Addict
I agree that the UN has its problems, but I think it's too important for the U.S. to just say "to hell with it" and pull out. They can make some changes, like abolishing the veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council, and I think the situation could be saved. It can hopefully work out the differences between Israel and the Palestinians, important work. Someone needs to make the Israelis stop settling in Palestinian territories. I can't think of anyone besides the UN who's capable of doing this.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Apparently if they aren't magic they are useless.
I'm out of here, this discussion is useless.
I'm out of here, this discussion is useless.
deep
Blue Crack Addict
Justin24 said:
could you elaborate
Similar threads
