The UN, at work and play!

[Donn]

Oil for Food, and sexual abuse of Congo refugees.

This is the same organization that condemns the US because opium production in Afghanistan is supposedly up, and wants to be the sole source of military action in the world.

Kofi is "outraged." :rolleyes:

[Jim H]

UN staff to vote on no-confidence motion against Annan (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041119/1/3onv4.html)


Staffers said the trigger for the no-confidence measure was an announcement this week that Annan had pardoned the UN's top oversight official, who was facing allegations of favouritism and sexual harassment.http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/SudansCrisis/images/signe.jpg

[Jim H]

http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/SudansCrisis/images/cohen.jpg

[jwaldin]

Koffi and Co. are nothing more than a bunch of thieves. The UN was, at one time, a respected world body. Over the last twenty years it has changed. I will not bore anyone with why this has happened. If you want to find out go back and see who has been in power and where they come from. That will answer any questions.

[LeeG]

Originally posted by Donn:
opium production in Afghanistan is supposedly up, :rolleyes: supposedly?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Let me cheer you up, Donn.

The increase in opium production in Afghanistan is not the fault of the USA.

It's the fault of Great Britain.

We are apparently supposed to be in charge of opium eradication there at the moment. :rolleyes:

[George.]

Oh, goody, another UN-bashing thread.

The world was just so much more cooperative and peaceful before the UN... :rolleyes:

[Donn]

If opium production is up (you'll excuse me for not taking the UN's word for it), it's likely that the biggest factor in the increase is the breaking of a 4 year drought.

The last official estimate, in 2003, was that opium constituted a third of Afghanistan's $20 billion GDP.

[LeeG]

George, where I used to live there were bill boards off the highway saying "US out of the UN" -JohnBirch Society.

I really never got a handle on the fear of the UN,like the foreigners with blue helmets were going to come down to the race track and take over the go cart concession.

[jwaldin]

Well George where there's smoke there's fire.
In years gone by, before the explosion of information occured because of the internet, organizations like the UN could stumble along doing some good work having their little internal scandals and no one outside would ever really know what was going on. The reason the UN is under attack is because the whole world can now find out the truth, like the food for oil debacle.

[LeeG]

ahhh,,the weather. So it's not a lack of controls or programs that caused the increase in opium production it's the weather.
hmm, interesting linking of data bits to make a causal relationship while not seeking other information. I guess the Taliban was simply unlucky with the weather.
Supposedly,,so there was a supposed increase,,supposedly caused by the weather.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html

[uncas]

The bottom line is " Power corrupts those who are in power"

[LeeG]

no way,,power only corrupts the bad guys. Those other guys. Not our guys.

[George.]

Who are you kidding? The reason the UN is under attack is that it refused to rubber stamp your stupid little war.

There is corruption in the US government as well, but I don't see any indignant calls to shut it down. The US set up the UN game, wrote the rules, and invited the world to play. But because it can't have its way every time, some Americans want to take their ball and go home.

[uncas]

George! Show me a government that isn't and I'll show you a country with no leadership. :D

[George.]

That's right, Unca. Power corrupts, and every government I have ever dealt with is corrupt - and yes, I have dealt with the US government. But some people want to single out the UN, because its objective is precisely to reign in the unilateral acts of nations, and take a tentative step towards reigning in the Hobbesian anarchy that international relations are. Apparently, the neocon American position is that they want the UN to reign everyone else in, but to be America's Reichstag.

[uncas]

George!
There is a situation in Africa where genocide is and has been going on for years...Actually rumor is that a treaty has been negotiated but I have not followed up on it. Countries are screaming that something should be done. Every country screaming bloody murder over murder is looking at the US to do something about it...Not the UN which appears to have its hands tied.Not at their own governments but the US. Other ountries always seem to be ready to stand in line to be the first to bite the hand which helps them in times of need. Nor can countries always expect the US to be the only one to do something. We are damn'd if we do and danm'd if we don't
Take the recent hurricanes which hit many of those small countries hard on their trips to the US. We, who were hit hard as well and are facing millions of dollars in damage were the ones with perhaps a very few other countries to send aid..Of course, if we didn't well we would never hear the end of it..So, what did Brazil send...condolences.
Yes, we have scandals...yes we are not perfect but trying to do something...and I ain't talking about Iraq here, to help other nations only brings the wrath of those we are trying to help down on our ears.
All of this hatred fro Americans and the US is making me think I want to be an isolationist. Not possible but the idea keeps cropping up. To heck with the rest of the world, we will withdraw and let everyone else solve their own problems, pull themselves up by the bootstraps, grow their own food, produce their own medicines, bail themselves out economically etc. Nice thought but...