I don't have time to go into detail now, but one should be circumspect about putting forth UNICEF as a bureaucracy worth saving.

SACRILEGE!!!

Disband the UN? You'll make some sputtering socialist downright speechless with fury!

GOOD!

As a teenager, I participated in a youth forum organized by the Methodist Church to study world hunger. We were all carted off to New York and trotted through the U.N. building for seminars on the subject. Of course you can imagine the theme: "World Hunger is the fault of the U.S."

Years later, when I was at Columbia in New York, I got a different view of the U.N. All those limos with diplomatic plates doubleparked in front of the best restaurants, clubs and theaters. Apparently, those folks who want to point the finger at the U.S. spent quite a few dollars at our best watering holes that could have been put to better use feeding their own people...

I was going to post a rambling luke-warm defense on the basis that talking was better than fighting, but really its just another mechanism for tottering dictatorships to prop themselves up by giving them a place to propagandize and divert domestic attention. Libya on the human rights commission? Oh really. Let's just move the whole thing to Brussels and have African diplomats and European commissars fight each other over parking spots.

The real work of keeping the world stable is done by quasi-world governmental bodies like the world bank or IMF; backroom deals between industrialized countries with occasional US intervention when the more polite carrot and stick approach doesn't work or a small bully is trying to become a big bully.

There's only two kinds of countries in the world: those are are totally fubar'd and those who aren't. Keep control with the ones that aren't. Hell, bring back the British Empire and steam engines if that's what it takes.

I say keep the share of the money governments contribute to the UN the same, but let them individually choose where to put it or to even opt out and donate to NGO's such as Doctors without Borders. If there really is any functionallity the UN is needed for something else will rise up to take its place.

First of all, I think the solution to the UN is to revamp its membership/voting systems. Joe Schwartzberg (former U of M professor) has a good idea concerning weighted voting. This would give the US a bit more weight to throw around. His formula is based on population and money put into the system (and one other variable that I can't remember right now). There are big problems with the UN...it can be solved through reasonable reforms with the way power is shared. Schwartzberg is at the very least offering very good ideas to go forward with.

The UN is helpful for 2 reasons: 1. it offers a constant source for diplomatic back channels. It is always a place where countries can talk...no matter how hot things get. This is important. It's almost like a global clubhouse. This sort of thing was absolutely necessary for the cold war. Is it needed for the new world? I think so...you never know when a state-based threat could pop up with terrorists running around all over the place. 2- We need to let the world know that we are willing to play along.

I am not a "blame America first" type of guy. However, think about how we look to the rest of the world. We have thousands of nuclear warheads (big ones, at that), we have the best military in the world, we spend more on our military than (almost) the rest of the world combined, we want to make bunker busters and missile shields....we are a kick ass country. This scares people. When you are this big and powerful, it is in your best interest to let other countries know that you, at the very least, are willing to make an attempt at working with everyone (at the UN).

Still waiting to be deleted...

You people are true morons if you think the UN is a liberal problem. Jeezus fucking Christ, Chistofascists! The Repubs are in charge and you're still not happy. Get your brown shirts back from the cleaners and persecute some homosexuals already. We're ready for you.

Blogesota,

You're not worth the effort of deleting. And I wasn't aware the GOP was in charge of the UN.

Please enlighten.

By the way, BS - I've put more of my ass on the line in DEFENSE of gays against persecution than you likely ever will.

Try to keep your brain from lighting on fire as your preconceptions (read: Bigotries) explode.

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