Much has been said about the need to reform the UN and give it a new lease on life, but nothing much has been done about it. The best this bureaucratic organization, whose main task according to its charter is to keep the peace, can do is act as a less effective version of the Red Cross. The UN has ceased preventing or stopping conflicts, and is only delivering post factum humanitarian aid to victims.
Thousands died in Rwanda because of UN inaction. I recently looked up UN Resolution 912 on Rwanda, dated April 21, 1994, and was shocked by its impotence and helplessness. The UN "expresses deep regret" at the failure of the parties to agree on a ceasefire, is "shocked at the tragic incident," "condemns the ongoing violence," "demands an immediate cessation of hostilities" and "decides to keep the situation in Rwanda under constant review."
I could cite many other resolutions that say almost the same. They do not suggest a practical solution but allow murderers to keep murdering and violence to continue.
The current Mideast crisis is a classic example of the UN's impotence. Resolution 1551 calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah is a typical bureaucratic imitation of action. The resolution assigns the disarmament task to the Lebanese government, although it was apparent in 2004, when the resolution was adopted, that Hezbollah had so much authority in Lebanon that the country's government would not be able to disarm it.
The UN Security Council watched calmly as weapons streamed into Lebanon from neighboring countries in such incredible amounts that Hezbollah can still launch a hundred missiles at Israel a day even after heavy bombing raids.
What I mean is, the UN, in particular the permanent members of its Security Council, helped create the prerequisites for the current fighting in the Middle East.
Likewise, the Security Council has done nothing for the Palestinians over the past decades. Can we put the blame on the Palestinians and Israelis if the international community has done nothing to defuse the situation in the region? The two sides are doing the best they can to settle the conflict - with weapons in hand.
The disarmament of Hezbollah would have done more than all the fuss around the Roadmap. It was inadmissible to speak about peace in the region while watching missile deliveries to Lebanon.
The UN says it wants to stop the Mideast violence, which is commendable. To attain this goal, it should not only encourage Israel to stop its bombing raids, but also decide who will disarm Hezbollah. Otherwise the fire will be dampened but not put out, and will soon flare up again.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the disarmament task could be given to the international stabilization force, which will be created and deployed in Lebanon if the Security Council requests it. However, it is not clear when the Council will convene, and international agencies hint that the United States wants to give Israel one more week to inflict maximum damage on Hezbollah.
The UN bureaucratic machinery is grinding on, slowly and painfully, without any guarantee of a positive and effective solution. Those who are living under falling bombs can only wait and hope, while diplomats are again "shocked," "appalled" and promising to "keep the situation under constant review."
