Time for Change at the United Nations

Randall H. Nunn

When President Bush addressed the United Nations this week, he spoke of the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq as well as other issues concerning the international community, speaking in the context of the model of international law and diplomacy espoused by the United Nations. If President Bush had spoken from his head and heart and tried to reflect the views and concerns of a majority of the citizens of the United States, this is what he might have said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced today with evil and lawlessness on a scale unparalleled in history in its ruthlessness, ferocity and disdain for human life and freedom. All of you in this chamber like to portray yourselves as the hope of the world and the protectors of peace, reason and harmony. Yet the sad truth is, this organization has lost its way and has become simply a political advocacy group focused on remaking world society in its desired image while expanding its power into all aspects of government, culture and the lives of the peoples of the nations of the world. That image is a product of the United Nations’ bias in favor of socialism and against individual rights coupled with a tolerance of leftist dictators, autocrats and theocrats all over the globe.”

At this point, there no doubt would be gasping and shouting in the General Assembly and looks of outrage caused by the audacity of the President of the most powerful nation in the world to speak so bluntly and directly. The representatives of the press would be running to call in their breaking news that the President of the United States was again acting like a “cowboy” and attacking the august world body and going his own way in violation of international law and comity. As looks of outrage give way to stunned and angry silence, the President continues:

“This organization has become bureaucratic, arrogant and filled with its own self-importance. All the while, thousands upon thousands of innocent people have died in places like Rwanda, the Sudan, Iraq, Israel, Iran, North Korea and many other countries around the world as you dither. Procedures and regulations have become more important than life and liberty. Oppression, torture, murder, rape, and genocide are flourishing openly in a number of countries, rating little more than polite criticism while your officials reserve their most vehement condemnation for the United States and its allies, accusing them of illegal action when they move to protect themselves against the most virulent terrorism this world has seen in many years. Corruption in the “Oil for Food” program has resulted in billions of dollars going in the hands of brutal dictators and their henchmen and has called into question the votes of certain members of the Security Council who may have been influenced by so-called “commissions” received by certain companies and well-placed cronies. The reaction of your organization to this scandal has been to delay, conceal and mislead those investigating the matter, while hiding behind confidentiality provisions and hyper-technical interpretations of laws and regulations. All of the posturing and high-sounding words cannot hide the fact that something is terribly wrong with this organization and its leadership.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this organization urgently needs to reform itself, aggressively investigate and punish the corruption within and cease its quest for ever-expanding power and authority aimed at installing its vision of world government on the sovereign nations of this globe. The United Nations was created with the best of intentions. However, it long ago overstepped its proper boundaries and the member nations have done nothing to restrain this organization to its proper role. The plain truth is that the United Nations was not intended to be a world government and yet it has acted as if it has that role. Under a free system of government, political power comes from the consent of the governed. The citizens of the United States have never consented to be governed by the United Nations and the United Nations has no power over our citizens. This organization and its leadership needs to understand that free American citizens will never consent to regulation by an international organization a majority of whose voting members are not free countries whose representatives are elected in free and open elections. No free people should ever give to nation-states that are not free, the right to control their rights and their destiny.

“The United Nations has exceeded its charter, has become out-moded, ineffective and controlled by a majority of undemocratic nations in the General Assembly who wish to impose their will upon democratic nations. It is time for the nations of this world to rein in the power of the United Nations, define its role very precisely and insure that it never becomes an instrument by which an undemocratic majority can dictate to free and sovereign nations and subject their people to rule by an elitist group of power hungry professional bureaucrats. The United Nations must be reformed. Until and unless such reform is instituted, the United States will cease any further contributions to the United Nations and will continue to deal with other nations on a multilateral basis as we have in the past and honor the principles of international law. When a large and powerful organization fails its essential purpose, is beset by corruption and wastes the money of its members on a monumental scale, and stands idly by while evil grips nations and individuals with fear and horror, it is time for a change.”