Blame America!

By Charlie

Richard Holbrooke has discovered why the United Nations is failing in every way imaginable! I'll give you two guesses as to who he blames for this problem:

Nope! It wasn't Kofi Annan!

The United Nations is facing major budgetary problems caused primarily by American insistence on a six-month budget cycle instead of the normal two-year cycle. It must deal with growing shortfalls in the U.S. contribution to peacekeeping funding, despite Washington's calls for more peacekeepers in Darfur and elsewhere. And it is confronted by a deadlock over rebuilding the headquarters complex in New York -- a deadlock whose main cause is the administration's failure to push Congress for proper funding. …

I’m sorry, Mr. Holbrooke, but we’re blaming the abject failures of this world body to stop genocide, reign in tyrants, and promote prosperity and good governance in the world on a BUDGET CYCLE? That is preposterous on its face, but then to follow it up with the assertion that the US is somehow not funding peacekeeping efforts? How about checking the UN’s own website, which gives us this informative little graphic:

Moving on, Mr. Holbrooke then presents another excuse for UN incompetence: they simply don’t have a good building to do all of there useless pondering in. The fault of this, of course, is laid squarely at the feet of the current administration by Holbrooke, even though it is the UN’s fault they haven’t fixed their leaky basement yet. Check out Donald Trump testifying about how much the bureaucrats are either getting scammed out of or inflating the margins to skim off the top:

WASHINGTON - The U.N. renovation project will probably cost $3 billion - more than double the United Nations's estimate of $1.2 billion, and more than four times the $700 million the project would cost if it were being managed competently, real estate developer Donald Trump told senators here yesterday.
… the U.N.'s plan to undertake a complete renovation of its headquarters at Turtle Bay, at a cost of $1.2 billion, 22% of which would be shouldered by American taxpayers. The renovations - set to begin in 2007 and expected to take five years - would be financed by America in the form of a $1.2 billion, 30-year loan at 5.54% interest offered last fall by the Bush administration.

Mr. Trump said the construction of the brand-new Trump World Tower - a 90-story luxury residential complex in Turtle Bay - cost roughly half what the United Nations expects to spend on the renovation on a per-square-foot basis.
"Anyone who says that building renovation is more expensive than building a new building doesn't know the business," the developer said. "It only costs a fool more money."

So… according to Mr. Holbrooke, its all the fault of the greedy Americans. How dare they question the UN? Driving on:

Still, even though Annan and the world body have been diminished by Washington, he and his colleagues simply cannot refuse to help on the Iraq matter; it is their responsibility as international civil servants to go where the problems are worst and then to do their best. And, on the basis of private talks with Annan, Malloch Brown and administration officials, I have no doubt that they intend to do just that.

Wait! I have a doubt! Yeah, they can refuse to help in Iraq. How do I know? Its 2006. We invaded in 2003. Are they there now? Now let’s wrap things up with a big bowl of cognitive dissonance:

… The lesson should be clear: Despite the enormously self-destructive actions of many other member states, especially the group of developing nations called the G-77, the United Nations still serves U.S. foreign policy interests in many important ways. Not only Iraq but also Iran, Darfur, Afghanistan and the difficult negotiations just started over Kosovo's final status -- all issues of vital importance to the United States -- have now ended up in the United Nations.

Wow. Let’s go down the list:
Iraq: 14 UNSC Resolutions, Oil For Food Scandal, WMD, genocide, and the UN still stood by Saddam –plus Kofi Annan said that OIF was “illegal.”

Iran: Perfectly willing to let them blatantly threaten Israel, and acquire the nuclear
weapons to back up those threats.
Darfur: ???? How has US interest been served by the dithering at the UN on Darfur? They haven’t even had the guts to call it a genocide!
Afghanistan: Last time I checked –NATO was helping out, not some UN peacekeeping force (and that was the *good* war…)

In conclusion, Richard Holbrooke, former UN ambassador, seems to think that the United Nations’ problems stem exclusively from one place in the world: US.

June 28, 2006 01:16 PM

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Comments

that's 27% too much as far as I'm concerned...

John · June 28, 2006 04:31 PM

I am with John To MUCH.

If you add Japan & US funding you get 46% of the entire UN budget. I say we bust off form a Common Democratic Alliance thats charter will include certian standards of human rights and freedoms and economic freedoms. To join a nation would have to of course agree to the alliance policy and meet the standards.

This in short order would be like a G-8/NATO that nations could join. As a added benefit thier would be no foreign aid exept for fellow alliance members and of course the trade and other such benefits especially the Mutual Protection.

The UN fails as a club becuase simply they let everyone in. Some of their very own members hate the UN and literally act to destroy or weaken it but the UN cant kick them out or really do anything but kiss a*s diluting their entire purpose to begin with.

Its time for a new Alliance. NATO is good but I dont know if they will step up to the world level and its more of a military alliance.

Quick list of nations that I believe would join in short order: US, Japan, Poland, Romania, Australia, Britian, Iraq, Afghanistan, Check republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Isreal, Thialand, Georgia, Azerbejan, Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungry, Colombia, El Salvador, Singapore,

others with some pressure or urging S. Korea, India, Egypt, Turkey, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, (China sounds funny but if tied to economic status would it be so)

Note the 2nd section has many non-democratic gov's but they could be put on the integration level during thier reforms. They would get direct assistance, advisers, and foreign aid for during this time to assist their compliance with required freedoms.

Their would be many many others who would follow later some for security (Stans)(Asian nations) some for Economic (S American)(M American)(European)(African) regions.

The next best thing to being the Big Guy on the block is being in his crew and by default having him on your side.

Its the 21st century time for some new alliance's the old Bi-polar ones are just outdated for another day.

Errrrr Just seen on Fox major major major major loss in the WOT today. Supreme Court votes that the Pres/US cant do military tribunals on Gitmo. So I guess we are going to have to either A) continue to hear the "held without trial at gitmo crimes" from the pansies or B) send the terrorist through the civil courts a freekin disaster of the highest order or C) punk out to the UN and let them try the terrorist even worse option than our civil courts. This is a WTF moment. Ahhh f*ck it gets worse they got thier rulling on the basis of they dont comply with the Geneva Convention. Mother FFFFrssss

C-Low · June 29, 2006 06:18 AM

I left some out in that first tier but still in a transition level Kuwait, Qutar, UAE.

The Europeans are pushing EU a organization they lead and founded. The Russians/China is pushing SCO a organization they lead they founded. We should form a org to overlap all of those in which we found and with fellow democracies lead.

C-Low · June 29, 2006 06:24 AM