The chief accusation against the united nations used to be: "It's just a debating society." Would that it were! There's something to be said for a global forum in which all peoples can have their say and heads can be counted Unfortunately the UN has expanded its role and now does everything from "peacekeeping" with multinational troops to administering aid programs and disaster relief. And it does almost everything badly. It's impossible to point to a major operation the UN has undertaken that's been brought to a successful conclusion. Its failures have nothing to do with inexperience, bad luck or being hurried. I recall the day in 1960 when the UN took charge of the Congo. Under the pressure of "world opinion" the Belgian colonial government had hastily evacuated, triggering massacres. Various European powers were ready to move in to restore order and save lives, but world opinion deemed that only the UN could do the job, as it was the only body with "dean hands." That was 45 years ago, and the UN has been involved ever since. The righting has continued—flaring up and dying down, with no end in sight. It's estimated that about 5 million have died. UN secretaries-general have come and gone (one was killed in the Congo), but the UN "mission" grinds on, expensive and totally ineffective.
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