[Agamemnon]

Originally posted by Savvy27@Feb 6 2005, 10:04 AM
He is a good writer. From the two articles you posted it appears that he manages to avoid the sweeping generalizations and absolutes that plague most right-wing authors.

I like the point he made about Iraqi's in Syria being able to vote for the leadership, but Syrian's in Syria have no choice. It's an interesting idea, hopefully it will lead to people in surrounding nations demanding their own democracies.

Obviously he's not a big fan of the Spainiards, but it is curious that they would protest a democratic election. Good articles.

He DOES? I thought I found a few 'sweeping generalizatins', but I suppose you have to dig for them... though they seemed obvious.

The first is that the author provides two (2) examples of UN issues (Darfur and Oil for Food), ignoring any other event, scenario, and action the UN has taken over the last 60 years, from Cyprus to East Timor, from UNICEF to UNAIDS. Basing his criticism off of two single issues and judging the organization by these standards would be like taking Bush's lie about WMD's and judging his administration solely by this lie... which many do. Is it right? No, of course not. Judgement of both UN and Bush should be aggregate, not picking out a single fault or two and using that as 'conclusive' evidence that the organization/administration 'doesnt' work' or is 'fundamentally corrupt'.

That's why Washington has no interest in joining Gordon Brown's newly announced Cash-for-Guilt programme, under which the Chancellor (or, to be more precise, you) has agreed to improve the Afro-kleptocracy's cash flow by transferring 10 per cent of its debt burden to the United Kingdom – a perfect example of the malign combination of empty European gesture-politics and Third World larceny that's been the default mode of progressive transnationalism for far too long. By contrast, consider the splendid John Howard. In announcing Australian's $1 billion tsunami aid package, he was careful to emphasise that he wouldn't be wiring it via the estate of Benon Sevan's late auntie.

The author appears to consider 3rd world debt relief as a a victory for the 'Afro-kleptocracy' in a 'cash-for-guilt' program. Clearly the author doesn't believe in assisting the poorer nations... I'm sure he/she thinks Africa is in trouble solely of its own actions, with no outside assistance.

In other words, the system didn't fail. This is the transnational system, working as it usually works, just a little more so. One of the reasons I'm in favour of small government is because big government tends to be remote government, and remote government is unaccountable, and, as a wannabe world government, the UN is the remotest and most unaccountable of all. If the sentimental utopian blather ever came true and we wound up with one "world government", from an accounting department point of view, the model will be Nigeria rather than New Hampshire.

The author points out that the UN system appears to be geared towards international embezzlement, and little else. He wishes the 'utopian blather' would go away, replaced by a new world of small government where everyone is happy and no one steals from anyone (utopia anyone?).

Corruption is rife in all world governments, from the UN, to the US, to the former Iraq. Hell, US citizens were making boatloads of money from the corrupt oil-for-food program.

How does pointing out two fairly current examples of corruption condemn the _massive_ presence of the UN at many different levels of society and in many different regions of the world, and all the good things its done? I won't even get into the very obvious fact that the UN doesn't act 'unilaterally', but _must_ do what its members require of it. The UN doesn't choose whether or not to go into Darfur, its member-states do... especially those on the Security Council. If you've got a beef with the fact that the UN didnt' go into Sudan with guns blazing, talk to the state's responsible, cause Kofi sure wasn't.

I suppose the best way to go is boycott the Halloween donation this year to UNICEF, and feel good that your money isn't stolen, as this author seems to guarentee. Sheesh.