Who needs the UN?

It seems like I cannot go a day without surfing the w-w-w (as my mom likes to say) without running into a story depicting some tragedy in Africa. Be they deplorable health issues or corrupt governments abusing their position in elections, the problems really run the gamut. South Africa, supposedly the height of efficient government in the continent, employs a health minister that believes garlic and potatoes are honest remedies in fighting their AIDS epidemic. For serious. Just google South African health minister AIDS problems and you’ll be presented with a litany of websites and articles that show you just how bad it is. The continent is rife with civil strife regarding elections in Kenya, Sudan, Somalia etc. The list is really long. Now, a lot of these problems are directly attributed to how new they are as free countries. Take a look at the problems facing America 75 years into its existence. But, they are still major problems and cannot be discounted. Back to the reason for this post.

A few years ago I sat for the State Department exam. I wanted to be a diplomat that traveled to foreign lands and worked in politics. I knew during the exam that this wasn’t going to happen for me. Why? I passed on an essay question that asked me about my feelings towards the United Nations and instead tackled a question regarding corporate responsibility. I knew then that it probably wasn’t going to work out for me because I didn’t have anything nice to say about the UN. The UN’s claim is that its inclusiveness lends legitimacy to what they support while possibly causing some delay in action. Ha! The UN is bloated, inefficient and corrupt. Just because they are inclusive does not make them right. Since when did popularity become a moral high ground?

The continent that sends the most delegates to the UN is Africa. These are people who have grown up in countries in which the governments rarely work well and that the major goal of elected people is to remain in power. It shouldn’t come as a shock to us when the UN drags their collective feet coming to the aid of countries in need or levying punishment on nations that break the rules. Its hard to blame the delegates because corruption and ineffective governments are all they know. Expecting them to move swiftly and fairly would be like hoping a tiger goes vegan. Its just not in the cards, baby.