I was in New York City on thursday, I had been to New York 3 years ago so I had saw all the major tourists spots, except the UN.

Bush was making an address to the UN at the time so they had a couple blocks around the UN blocked off

So this visit it was one of the major NYC places i had not seen so we went. We went on the guided tour of the UN. I really enjoyed it, even though it was pretty fast and they didnt really give you time to wonder around yourself or to actually read all the exhibits they had. But the guide was good and very knoledable. Got to see the security councel and then general assembly as well.

Also learnt some things about the UN that i ddint know, like that all but 2-3 small countries in the world are members of the UN, so thats basically the entire world. I didn't realise that.

Also for the people here that have said in that the UN is useless are supremely ignorant. The UN plays a huge roll in so many ways. these people get this notion because the US went around the UN in Iraq. Well sure they did but thats only a very small part of the UN. The human development, economic, peace keeping, ect parts are much bigger part and have made the world we live in today. And will continue to into the future.

   

I like the UN, but one major problem is its hard to make reforms which it does need

   

Did you see Angelina Jolie?

You were there for only one day?

   

i've never been to NYC, but I'd like to visit sometime.

Glad you had fun.

   

Sorry folks but all I see in the UN is a giant buearacracy that never really accomplishes anything. It needs to be revamped in a hurry because all it's become is an anti-Israeli mouthpiece. Everything Israel does is evil and everything the PLO(and its factions) does is just!

I mean think about it Libya in charge of the UN human rights commission!

   

Well said. My sentiments exactly.

I like how the USA & NATO invasion of Yugoslavia was also illegal so far as the UN was concerned but no one kicked up a fuss because that was an illegal war launched by liberals to allegedly save Muslims when in fact it was just a NATO grab at the Kosovo tin mines.

Where was the UN outrage over Yugoslavia???

Until they say something about Yugoslavia and the illegal six year occupation of that country then the UN should STFU when the subject is Iraq.

If Bush is a war criminal then so is Clinton. Now let's see the liberals go after one of their own for a change.

   

The UN has become what the League of Nations was before WW2.

   

Worth repeating.

Couldn't agree more.

   

The only things the UN has done successfully have all been in the field of disease control. The most significant achievement being the eradication of smallpox.

But their peacekeeping missions are almost all uniform failures.

The UN's record on the advancement of human rights is dismal, at best.

And their record on being a corrupt kleptocracy is now indisputible.

I'd advocate tossing the UN while keeping the parts that work - like the World Health Organization.

   

Organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and some other less known groups like international standards organziation have ben very useful. The problem with the UN has been the General Assembly and the Security Council.

The sooner the UN is dismantled the better. I imagine somehting like the UN will be form again in the future -- probably after another world war. But this particular manifestation of an international forum has had its day and serves no useful purpose anymore.

   

I am sure if you look hard enough at the UN you will find something that will piss off everyone at one time or another. Even if we did not have the UN I am certian we would have to invent it. The SC is the problem and countries like Japan (who pay the bills) should be on the SC.

   

Nice to have a consensus on something for a change.

   

Full moon was 5 days ago.

Your late, what took you?

   

Not a stupid comment, but I'll disagree with it anyway.

The Security Council isn't the problem. Most people who say that, (and I don't want to put words in the mouth of Scape), is that if the Security Council was made to 'truly reflect' power in the world, then the Security Council, and thereby the UN itself, will function better.

But if that was done, you would just have the 'have' countries in the Security Council directly opposed to the 'have not' countries in the General Assembly. From that would come perpetual gridlock.

What shows the weakness of the UN better than anything is that economic issues are now better handled outside the UN context in the G8 meetings, (created outside the UN for just those reasons). Likewise, 'peacekeeping' missions have been farmed out to regional and ad hoc coalitions, (which have also worked better).

The UN is not a government. The General Assembly is not a legislature.

There are those who profit from keeping distinctions fuzzy, but effective work happens when distinctions are clear.





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the UN celebrated 60 years Sunday....about the UN at http://www.un.org/english/