The UN? Consider This:
Ah, that wonderful world-class institution, the United Nations. Where, indeed, it is true that the tail wags the dog.The materially and democratically advanced nations of the world largely fund the United Nations, but it is the emerging nations of the world - emerging in the sense that they are still what was formerly called 'Third World countries' of frail political, social and economic heritage and institutional incompetence that really control the fortunes and rulings and preoccupations of the United Nations.
Consider how frail that institution is, that it engages in what can only be termed moral blackmail, in insisting that the wealthy countries of the world have an obligation to bootstrap the failed and indigent countries of the world. Not that wealthy, advanced nations do not themselves recognize this moral imperative, and respond to it, as they have always done, but the United Nations pushes and insists that more, ever more can and should be done, despite the graft and corruption in receiving countries.
Consider that top representative posts in the United Nations are often held by countries whose human rights records have always been, and continue to be, abysmal. Consider that censure does not emanate from the United Nations toward those countries of the world whose dedication to human rights and freedoms and internal peace and administrative responsibility is utterly lacking.
For the enlightened policy within the UN is not to 'embarrass' any country, irrespective of their reprehensible, often totalitarian governments.
Yet there is no hesitation in permitting one country, and one only - a modern, technologically advanced, democratic, freedom-loving, human-rights-observing country of the world - to be regularly slandered and denigrated. Those sitting in judgement on that country represent the antithesis of its performance as a good world citizen-state, because of their atrocious disregard for human rights.
Yet Israel remains the world's scapegoat.
Consider that a former unreconstructed Nazi, the Austrian Kurt Waldheim, acted out a sober stint as the United Nations secretary-general, elected by his hierarchical peers as the best possible candidate for the position. Consider that a former prime minister of Holland, and former chief of the UN's refugee agency, Ruud Lubbers, was accused of sexual harassment of subordinates, and that staff bystanders were witness to his groping of a celebrity-volunteer.
And that an internal investigation concluded that "He foisted unwanted physical attention of a sexual nature on a subordinate female staff member [and engaged in] pervasive and intimidating attempts to influence the outcome of the investigation", yet Kofi Annan, then UN secretary-general, refused to recognize and act on the investigators' recommendations for disciplining Mr. Lubbers.
The female UN worker, who had been with that august institution as a volunteer-trainer for two decades is now facing discrimination on the job for her sin of whistle-blowing. Consider that.
Consider that those who have an exalted presence within the United Nations, at the highest level, are immune from censure for their misdeeds; they are beyond the letter of the law.
Labels: Political Realities, Sexism, Social-Cultural Deviations, United Nations
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, October 05, 2010
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