UN: A World Forum of Bystanders

Syrian Family after the regime air bombed their home/

Photo source:www.rookiestew.com

The Middle East Tribune

APRIL 7, 2015
Fourteen month after the end of the First World War, the League of Nations (LN) was
founded on January 1920 to maintain world order, guarantee peace and security,
adjudicate international disputes, resolve conflicts, promote global health, and so
forth. Nevertheless, history shows that failure of League of Nations to fulfill its mission
was one of the crucial factors that fueled World War II. This actuality, however, was
somewhat dissented on the basis that the first international organization had neither
the authority nor the means to command and enforce, which made it a flimsy
association of state representatives.

In the aftermath of World War II, the need to maintain world order, make durable
peace and provide human development became indispensable to the progression of
civilizations and preservation of human lives. To that end, the United States (the
victorious nation which was not a member of the LN) along with the exhausted United
Kingdom (UK) and ruined France pressed to replace or restructure the impotent
League of Nations in favor of establishing efficient international organization that can
lead the world to peace and prosperity.
On the other winning side, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) declined to
join the projected international organization unless privileged with a vetoing force.
Therewith, the Security Council (SC) was arranged to comprise eleven member-states
at its start in 1945 (increased to fifteen-seat-members in 1965), five of which are
permanent state-members (USSR, U.S., UK, France and China) who were armed with
illimitable veto powers. Accordingly, on the ruins of the League of Nations, the United
Nations (UN), and its ruling Security Council, was established in October 1945 as the
worlds most powerful international organization of all timesa world government in
all aspects.
As in its charter, the aim and purpose of the UN is to arbitrate disputes, resolve
conflicts, prevent armed conflicts and wars, maintain world peace, protect human
rights, enforce justice, combat poverty, fight diseases, provide human development,
etc To achieve its goals, the new United Nations organization was equipped with
powerful principal arms and international institutions, such as:
Security Council (SC) that has the full authority to bring forth legally binding
resolutions to enforce settling of conflicts, impose sanctions and initiate
military operations worldwide, and much more.
International Court of Justice (ICG) that has the authority to settle legal
disputes between states and deliver advisory legal opinions to the UN
General Assembly and other branches, and more.
International Criminal Court (ICC) that has the jurisdiction to prosecute
individuals for international crimes, like genocides, crimes against
humanity, and war crimes, and more
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established to promote international
economic and social co-operation and development, as well as many more
socioeconomic duties.
World Bank Group (WBG) designated to reduce poverty and offer capital

loans to developing countries, and so on

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) established to inhibit nuclear
weapons and control the use of nuclear energy for military purposes.
World Health Organization (WHO),
World Trade Organization (WTO),
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
World Food Program (WFP),
UNESCO, UNICEF and several other agencies
A look at worlds state of affairs, in terms of conflict resolutions and peacemaking, will
show that the world is suffering the disastrous consequences of a stack of unresolved
armed conflicts and longstanding territorial disputes, most of which are due to UNSC
inaction or failure. Among those consequential issues, some are still on fire for
decades, while other cases were pushed aside to fade way, or burnout, with timeno
matter of human costs.
To refresh the public memory, herein some instances that epitomize the chronic
inefficacy of the Security Council:
Iranian Nuke Program (as of 2003 as yet)
Twelve years have passed in trying to convince the Islamic republic in Iran to limit its
uranium enrichment process and halt its nuclear weaponization programswhile the
whole international community has turned a blind eye to Irans Revolutionary Guard
direct militarily intervention in Syria and Iraq, or through its Shiite militant proxies in
Yemen, Bahrain and Lebanon. Yet, UNSC response was limited to the application of
digestible shots of economic sanctions and extending the talks until P5+1(or may say
the U.S) and Iran reach some fallacious agreement or frameworkas emerged on the
very day this piece was almost ready for publishing.
Arab-Israeli Conflict (as of 1947 as yet)
Sixty-eight years of bloodshed and hatred owed to lack of will of the SC to install a
comprehensive Israeli-Arab peace treaty through which an end to Israeli-Palestinian
unending wars and Arab-Israeli conflict can be realized. And, the result is zero
Syrian Civil War (as of 2011 as yet)
Four years of slaughtering of innocent Syrians by Assads regime and Iranian
paramilitary groups (where more than 240,000 killed and at least 500,000 wounded)

were not enough to enforce a solution or at least a ceasefire, which paved the way for
the so-called Islamist militants, Shiite and Sunnite alike, to destroy the region and
export terrorism to the world. Yet, Ban ki Moon just feels sorry and ashamed for UNs
inability to act. What a pity!
Turkish Invasion of Northern Cyprus (as of 1974 as yet)
More than forty years since Turkey invaded and slashed the northern part of Cyprus,
while the case remains under discussionmaybe for another 40 years.
Iran-United Arab Emirates (as of 1971 as yet)
Forty four years since the territorial dispute erupted between Iran and United Arab
Emirates(UAE) over three Arabian Islands (Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb
Islands), yet left unresolvedperhaps not to annoy impendent nuclear Iran
Pakistan- India (As of 1947 as yet)
More than six decades past where three deadly wars were fought between Pakistan and
India over Kashmir region. And, the Security Council action is yet to be known.
Iran- Iraq War (1980-1988)
It took eight years and over one million dead until the Security Council found a way to
broker a ceasefire between Iraq and Iran.
Having itemized some cases should not connote that other conflicts, like the Russian
invasion and annexation of Crimea, Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russian invasion of
Georgia, U.S. war on Iraq, Sudanese civil wars and genocide, Lebanons civil war and
other issues, have been properly addressed by the Security Council or have less
detrimental effects on world peace.
On top of that recurring failure, the unfortunate reality is that the United Nations has
also been unsuccessful in combating poverty, fighting fatal diseases, delivering timely
disaster relief and humanitarian aidnot to discuss its human development
undertakings. Yet, it surpasses all governmental agencies when it comes to generating
tons of equivocated reports through which it presents statistical-based improvements
and unattained achievements. Beclouding that, the proclaimed improvement in
fighting poverty are largely owed to the redrawing of higher poverty lines, obscuring
that hundreds of millions of Chinese have uprated themselves to higher socioeconomic
brackets as a result of Chinas continuous high economic growth, computing of GDPs
per capita at nominal values without any adjustment for inflation, and other statistical
tricks.

Add up that UNs World Health Organization (WHO) has jeopardized the safety and
wellness of humankind, when it fell short to timely respond to 2014 Ebola outbreak in
West Africa, or to promptly contain the deadly epidemic virus from spreading out.
Whereas, it was Doctors Without Borders (DWB), a French humanitarian aid
organization, who warned the world and rushed to help the poor ailing Africans in
their life-threatening ordeallet alone how the minimally funded DWB outperformed
the well-funded WHO. In similar manner, UN refugee-related agencies were, as
always, inefficient and sluggish to fulfill their global humanitarian aid missions. Time
and time again, they are bone-idle to provide adequate humanitarian aid to millions
of Syrian refugees, who fled their homes to neighboring countries not to dredge up
UN operation in the aftermath of 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Given its unparalleled authority, the truth remains that UNs achievements are meager
to be called up, whereas its shortcomings and failures are so many to list in one
document. Like father like son, the veto-crippled Security Council has proved
throughout the past seventy years that it is a mere international political bazaar or a
world forum of bystanders at best. Unfortunately, besides transforming UNs
peacekeeping forces into sitting ducks and white flag-wavers, it seems that the
theatrical role of the SC is to protract conflicts, no matter of human sufferings, until
the self-serving P-5 vetoers see self-interest.

A UN peacekeeping soldier stands next to a shelter inside a UN base at the Golan

Heights/
Photo source:www.thehindu.com

This persistent failure has evoked a broad disapprobation of UNs Security Council for
being disunited and unable at least to stop the mowing down of innocent peoplelet
alone solving conflicts, enforcing order and imposing peace. This factuality, however,
has induced many analysts to mull over the benefits from having a big international
organization that costs much (around 14 billion dollars for two-year budget including
Peacekeeping expenses) and achieves little.
Unfortunately, the United Nations has demonstrated since its origination that it is
neither free nor potent to serve the world as determined in its charter. By and large, its
governing bodies and agencies have proved to be more politicized than being
humanized, bureaucratically driven than being result oriented, unvigilant to cope with
urgencies, and so forth. Otherwise, they would have done much better than just
dashing hopes.
This reality impels all to question about such incessant impuissance! Is it a
competence issue, lack of will or a matter of compliancy? Actually, it is a combination
of all. Yet, the compelling question is whether there are viable solutions to reform the
UN, SC and other agencies, or not. Should it be restructured, segmented and
decentralized, or just be dissolved?
Most strategists and restructuring experts believe that the permanency and severity of
UNs case has made it beyond fixing. It is so because of the impossibility to annul the
paralytic five veto prerogatives from the SC voting system, even if four of the deciding
P-5 agreed to rescind their vetoing powers, which will block any real reform attempt
before it starts. Secondly, it is hard to fix because of its resourceless financing system
(which depends on rich state-donors for funding) from which the UN lost autonomy
and neutrality.
Away from discussing other structural defects or remediable suggestions at this time,
seeing that most remedies have to include decentralization, segmentation,
regionalization subcontracting, or other disintegrative trends. Yet, the only viable
solution to elongate UNs lifespan and reinvigorate its needed role depends on the
reform drive of the five permanent state-members. Reform will be feasible once the P5 jointly agree to nullify their veto powers and employ democratic voting system.
Democratization of the Security Council, for example, entails that the count of SC seatmembers should be reset in which it includes one representative for each group of ten
nations or so, who should be selected by each nation-group.
In all likelihood, UNs financing system needs restructuring at which a steady funding
system is instituted instead of the current donative arrangements. The United Nations

has no choice but to introduce a mandatory subscription charge or membership fee on

all UNs member-states, poor and rich alike, so that to ensure the smooth flow of funds
free from political inclinations. To give an example, a fifty million U.S dollars charge
on 193 member-states will bring in $9,650 billion a year, which is more than enough to
do the job without relying on contributions of rich countries for funding.
Obviously, the demand for help and support of the worlds top organization is soaring,
especially in matters related to conflict resolution and peacemaking, humanitarian aid
and human development. People of the world, especially those of the third world, need
to be certain that there are equitable international organizations that can aid them
when in need and stand up for the helpless against the tyranny of the strong without
political preference.
To live up to that mission, we need, now more than ever, efficacious international
organization, resolute international leadership and impartial leading nation that not
only respect democratic values and human rights at home, but also lead and act in
accordance with these values abroad without double-dealing politics and profiteering
obsessions.
Failing to reform and democratize worlds top international organization and its
Security Council before long will only bring more terror, more bloodshed and more
havoc to all nationsif not a third world war.

Authors Note: This article is also published at Arabian Gazette

Posted by Thavam