UN in serious cash trouble

[CaptainCrunch]

https://globalnews.ca/news/6006577/u...medium=Twitter

The United Nations may not have enough money for staff salaries next month if member states don’t pay what they owe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday.

The United States is the largest contributor — responsible for 22 percent of the more than $3.3 billion regular budget for 2019, which pays for work including political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and social affairs and communications.


Washington owes some $381 million for prior regular budgets and $674 million for the 2019 regular budget. The U.S. mission to the United Nations confirmed the figures. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when it might pay.

I think the UN has been in need of reform and change for a while. But I think there does need to be some kind of unifying body.

[zamler]

Good, not a big fan of the UN.

[Fuzz]

Cheque is in the mail. Be cool.

[nik-]

UN has been irrelevant since they stood by and let Rwanda hack itself to pieces.

Now it's a solely a theatre for stern words and stalemates. Let it die.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

this is horrible. Who's going to stop M. Bison now?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

this is horrible. Who's going to stop M. Bison now?

A stroke.

[Locke]

Well.....they'll just go and start their own currency! With hookers! And Blackjack!

[PostandIn]

I've always thought the UN should be re-purposed as a global intervention force that targets basket case country's and deposes corrupt governments, bureaucracy, military, police, courts, etc. Then as a long-term (20 - 30 years) project, rebuilds, trains and stewards a younger generation to lead the country with democratic principles and rule-of-law. Like the Peace Corps with a big stick. They could start with Myanmar or Venezuela.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by PostandIn

I've always thought the UN should be re-purposed as a global intervention force that targets basket case country's and deposes corrupt governments, bureaucracy, military, police, courts, etc. Then as a long-term (20 - 30 years) project, rebuilds, trains and stewards a younger generation to lead the country with democratic principles and rule-of-law. Like the Peace Corps with a big stick. They could start with Myanmar or Venezuela.

*BZZZZT* Chinese veto

*BZZZZT* Russian veto

[Table 5]

Dibs on the building.

[PostandIn]

Originally Posted by nik-

*BZZZZT* Chinese veto

*BZZZZT* Russian veto

Killjoy.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by PostandIn

Killjoy.

*BZZZZT* veto

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by PostandIn

I've always thought the UN should be re-purposed as a global intervention force that targets basket case country's and deposes corrupt governments, bureaucracy, military, police, courts, etc. Then as a long-term (20 - 30 years) project, rebuilds, trains and stewards a younger generation to lead the country with democratic principles and rule-of-law. Like the Peace Corps with a big stick. They could start with Myanmar or Venezuela.

That's an absolutely atrocious idea and is basically just imperialism.

[Playfair]

Originally Posted by rubecube

That's an absolutely atrocious idea and is basically just imperialism.

Basically what the USA has been doing for decades!

[blankall]

Originally Posted by PostandIn

I've always thought the UN should be re-purposed as a global intervention force that targets basket case country's and deposes corrupt governments, bureaucracy, military, police, courts, etc. Then as a long-term (20 - 30 years) project, rebuilds, trains and stewards a younger generation to lead the country with democratic principles and rule-of-law. Like the Peace Corps with a big stick. They could start with Myanmar or Venezuela.

The UN already does have the power to do much of that, but just requires unanimous the Security Counsel members with veto power, not to exercise that power.

The 1990 Iraq invasion is a good example of when the veto possessing nations agreed though. Even then, the resolution was only to remove Iraq from Kuwait by "any means", not to remove the leader of Iraq. The US had to do some serious pocket greasing to get this resolution through.

Currently most military intervention is stopped by the veto powers. I can't imagine what would happen if there was some kind of independent UN body, who could act militarily. If you hate the UN now, why would you want to give them the power to take out entire governments?

[peter12]

The idea of the United Nations is obviously good.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by peter12

The idea of the United Nations is obviously good.

I think people have way too lofty expectations for what it can be though. We need to get over this fantasy of the UN providing military intervention and start recognizing that it's most useful function is in humanitarian efforts.

[CaptainYooh]

This was brewing for a long time and expected.

The principal idea of UN was having a platform for EACH country for speaking freely and for ALL other countries to be able to hear it. The other idea was having a supplementary informal communications venue for the leaders of all countries. The purpose was to help avoid wars caused by misrepresentations or poor communications between countries.

Over the past decades, these two purposes have evolved into something that is no longer supportable. UN is trying to do way more than it should or can. In my travels, I have met various UN staff on many occasions – many of them wearing watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, flying first-class and staying at top-notch hotels. The optics of that are cringe-worthy. I've been to the UN office in Geneva once - I felt like a peasant there...

UN peace missions are a military force inserted in the middle of regional conflicts. Paying for UN soldiers to die for the interests of one sect over another somewhere in Africa or Middle East is not always easy to understand or justify. UN humanitarian programs are governed and administered by UN bureaucrats (read above) and are often distributed to corrupt regimes through their own corrupt bureaucrats. All this is self-governed by UN itself. There is just no good way of administering UN budget efficiently with such a huge, loosely defined mandate.

I think UN's mandate should be scaled back to its original purpose.
__________________

[Northendzone]

Why do I feel like Trudeau is itching to write a cheque to cover the loss and give them some funds to tide them over

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Why do I feel like Trudeau is itching to write a cheque to cover the loss and give them some funds to tide them over

I actually read a rumour about it on Twitter, working to confirm.