Comments on: Why the UN Should be Disbanded http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:39:56 +1100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Keeping Questionable Company -- a Nadder! http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded/comment-page-1#comment-7001 Keeping Questionable Company -- a Nadder! Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:59:14 +0000 http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded#comment-7001 [...] silly to look at it too simplistically in terms of guilt by association. And I have previously dismissed the UN (although my position is changing, thanks Matthew and [...] [...] silly to look at it too simplistically in terms of guilt by association. And I have previously dismissed the UN (although my position is changing, thanks Matthew and [...]

]]> By: michael http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded/comment-page-1#comment-204 michael Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:47:34 +0000 http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded#comment-204 Yes, that's kind of what I was going to mention in follow up posts (including some potential improvements to the system). I think Annan was a failure beyond just the idea of bearing responsibility as the figurehead -- even just as the figurehead he had a great opportunity to use the media and get a sense of urgency about Rwanda and many other conflicts (eg. Congo) and didn't. Ki-Moon hasn't done anything like that yet but I think is coming close to it, being next to silent on Darfur. Yes, that’s kind of what I was going to mention in follow up posts (including some potential improvements to the system).

I think Annan was a failure beyond just the idea of bearing responsibility as the figurehead — even just as the figurehead he had a great opportunity to use the media and get a sense of urgency about Rwanda and many other conflicts (eg. Congo) and didn’t.

Ki-Moon hasn’t done anything like that yet but I think is coming close to it, being next to silent on Darfur.

]]> By: Joel http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded/comment-page-1#comment-203 Joel Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:30:29 +0000 http://anadder.com/why-the-un-should-be-disbanded#comment-203 Former foreign minister Downer was asked a question on this topic at a dinner I attended last week. His answer was that the problem is not the UN, but the nations that comprise it. In this approach, its difficulties can't readily be blamed on Anan or Ki-Moon, and maybe they shouldn't be. Yet obviously the structure and mechanisms of the UN provide a stage for such countries, and by giving them equal votes encourages disunity. I.e. smaller countries makes more powerful voting blocks. Therefore power is achieved with small countries rather than federated alliances. It would be nice to have all the people of the world represented at some such forum. But national governments are maybe an unreliable method of representation. Not that there's really any other way to do it. Former foreign minister Downer was asked a question on this topic at a dinner I attended last week. His answer was that the problem is not the UN, but the nations that comprise it. In this approach, its difficulties can’t readily be blamed on Anan or Ki-Moon, and maybe they shouldn’t be.

Yet obviously the structure and mechanisms of the UN provide a stage for such countries, and by giving them equal votes encourages disunity. I.e. smaller countries makes more powerful voting blocks. Therefore power is achieved with small countries rather than federated alliances.

It would be nice to have all the people of the world represented at some such forum. But national governments are maybe an unreliable method of representation. Not that there’s really any other way to do it.

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