United Nations Class
The class at Oasis this time was lightly attended, perhaps because of the subject, whether or not the United Nations was relevant in our modern world. Mr. Bush has been presenting a case for their being ineffective, based primarily on their not carrying out his will. His propaganda machine is well oiled and his government exerts great control over the news media, with the result that most Americans have come to view the United Nations as ineffective and indecisive.
Since Mr. Bush couldn't get the U.N. to rubber stamp his war efforts, he bypassed them and went to war without their approval. The fact that the war was unjustified and unnecessary doesn't seem to have bothered his people, who seem to think they have somehow improved the world by their military action.
But military action is only the beginning. It is simply the opening of the bag of worms. The really hard and expensive parts are yet to come and will probably take decades or centuries to sort themselves out.
But an easy military victory doesn't make Mr. Bush right, or his opponents wrong, about the role of the United Nations. About 80% of the efforts of the U.N. are devoted to improving the economies and health of the world rather than to military or political matters, and it is these programs that will make a difference in the world in the long run.
Our instructor for the class was involved in supervising several of the elections in Kosovo. She has also been involved in other U.N. activities. She has close friends working in relief and education efforts in Afghanistan who report that the elected government there still exists, despite armed tribal warlords, and that it is safe to travel about anywhere in the country.
I have heard in several classes lately that the biggest health threat in areas like Afghanistan is ignorance of sanitation. Even measures as simple as the washing of hands would save large numbers of lives, one estimate being about two thirds of those now dying. But it is hard to teach someone to wash their hands when their daily supply of water is limited to the amount we use in one average flush.
East Timor is a brand new country, thanks to the efforts of the U.N. After 25% of their people were slaughtered, they, with no experience at administration or government, had to be taught everything about the process before they could hold municipal elections and, later, decide on a constitution for themselves. They now have a functioning government of their own.
Organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF were mentioned only briefly, partly because a small number of highly vocal members of the audience kept asking inappropriate questions having little to do with the topic at hand.
Comments (4)
What kinds of inappropriate questions? I assume they were neocon cultists trying to push a pro-$hrub agenda?
One woman repeatedly questioned the speaker's qualifications to talk about the United Nations. One man repeatedly questioned her statistics, arguing a universal point of view when she got specific and a specific point of view when she gave universal generalizations, then criticizing whenever she had no statistics with which to answer him. At least one other was simply confused. They should all have kept their mouths shut or the speaker should have ignored their outbursts and questions.
I heard an interview with someone or other who said (something like) Bush's military actions have set all kinds of precedents in history...using war for peace...sad really...***I enjoyed the photos! And the info on how they were taken was fascinating. I often wondered why people in old photos never smiled...now I know why!
***~Spot~
I think the United Nations is very important because it provides a forum for discussion of all kinds of international issues. It would be sad to see it disband.
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