Monday's allegations attacking the relevance of the United Nations are sadly ignorant of this organization's numerous achievements. The current trial of Slobodan Milosevic on war crimes sets an excellent example of accountability for the rest of the world. Libya was pressured by Security Council resolutions to hand over those responsible for the Pan Am aircraft bombing. And international sanctions resulting from several General Assembly discussions led to the abolition of apartheid in South Africa.
The United Nations' principal setback which leads to its occasional ineffectiveness is exactly the opposite of Mr. Mock's assertion: the UN has fewer "teeth" than we might like because we give it less. The sovereignty that the United States and many other nations hold so dear is in direct opposition to a world body that works together to the fullest of its capabilities to solve global issues. To attract more people to this world organization, the drafters of its Charter allowed for exceptions to states' adoptions of International Court of Justice jurisdiction. Indeed, it is ironic that the current conservative thrust of taking responsibility for one's actions is completely turned on its head when our government ignores its responsibility in the UN's ineffectiveness by not supporting a more stringent, binding and thus effective Charter, let alone by accepting ICJ jurisdiction.
Even when the UN is unable to pass a resolution on an issue, it does not denote failure. (This type of thinking is a direct result of the black-and-white fallacy that now dupes many Americans.) Rather, the General Assembly provides a place where certain issues can be brought to the world forum that otherwise may go unnoticed. Public opinion is a weighty device that can be effectively utilized in this forum.
Mr. Mock claims that countries having worse governments than the US hold equal sway in the UN. This is both right and wrong. The General Assembly does provide a balanced forum where its 191 members can address any issue they wish, potentially making recommendations for further action. This is roughly equivalent to our Senate, where small states have the same voices as large ones. Yet the Security Council gives a veto power advantage to five nations -- one being the US -- often resulting in "superpower politics." Therefore, the US has more influence in the UN than, say, Iran does.
Nevertheless, international law is a process and not something that can, or should be, created by one country asserting "moral superiority" over another, whether ultimately proven right or wrong. And treating the requisite negotiations as "ineffective" and "time consuming" is an illogical, self-defeating mentality that implies war is better than talk. Do not be deceived by this narrow-minded argument that would lead us astray from our indisputably shared beliefs of the worth of every individual and of the potential for world cooperation and, ultimately, world peace. We can learn a lot from each other in the world forum of the United Nations. It is the first, albeit primitive, step in world government. Ultimately, however, we must listen to the hopes and desires of all the world's peoples, as they are no different than our own.
Write to Jeff at
jwbarnum@bsu.edu
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