I have often expressed the opinion that the United Nations, though an appealing notion, is so feckless and corrupt, and so utterly devoid of any real power to inhibit the ambitions of scoundrels and tyrants, that the civilized nations of the world might simply be better off without it. Certainly the United States would; at the very least there’d be more parking available in Midtown.
From my friend Eugene Jen comes news of the latest example of the organization’s abject powerlessness to stand up for anything worth defending. From a statement by the International Humanist and Ethical Union, we read:
For the past eleven years the organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), representing the 57 Islamic States, has been tightening its grip on the throat of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yesterday, 28 March 2008, they finally killed it.
With the support of their allies including China, Russia and Cuba (none well-known for their defence of human rights) the Islamic States succeeded in forcing through an amendment to a resolution on Freedom of Expression that has turned the entire concept on its head. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression will now be required to report on the “abuse’ of this most cherished freedom by anyone who, for example, dares speak out against Sharia laws that require women to be stoned to death for adultery or young men to be hanged for being gay, or against the marriage of girls as young as nine, as in Iran.
Read the story here. Surely there is some better use to which a few acres of prime East River real estate can be put.
4 Comments
This is getting genuinely scary. I’m not kidding. I don’t see how things can continue like this without eventually leading to a violent conflict. I mean, a large-scale violent conflict (not just the smaller scale violent conflicts that occur every day for similar reasons).
I agree, Charles. It’s hard for me to imagine how anyone wouldn’t. Certainly the other side is spoiling for a fight.
Agreed. Scary.
Kevin
Oh my Malcolm,
Now this is very strange. I had just been commenting on another page on the possibilities of “strangelet conspiracies” in Geneva when I clicked on a link that had been posted.
I think perhaps there may be something to this parallel universe thing. I see now Geneva has eerie similarities with at least one other location. I think I’d prefer the extra parking too.
JK