If any organization reflects the difference between an idea and the reality of humanity it is the United Nations.
Created after the second world war, by a group of victors who imagined a new world order that would lead us to a utopian future where men would talk with each other as equals and we would avoid the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Conquest, War, Famine and Death, foretold to us in the Bible.[1] The United Nations was a vision of the Progressives of the day, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (and their foggy bottom boys), Winston Churchill, the Allied Nations, Nationalist China, and Joseph Stalin.
As we look at the history of the United Nations and its move towards that utopian world one has to ask, has it earned its keep? Has it stopped conquest, war, famine, and death? As best as I can tell not too effectively. It has a lot of subgroups all working on the big issues, but as we see in today’s vote of condemnation over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it can’t even settle a simple question like are the Russians indiscriminately killing civilians, and should Russia be kicked off the Human Rights Council?
Speaking of the Human Rights Council, who does the UN believe are the countries best equipped to speak to the issues of human rights? Funny you should ask.
The council is made up of one President and four Vice Presidents. The current President is Ambassador Villegas, from Argentina. According to Human Rights Watch[2] Argentina’s problems include police abuse, poor prison conditions, and endemic violence against women.
Other members include Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Marshall Island, Mauritania, Mexico, Montenegro, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Rep of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
I know we can all find abuses in any of these countries and clearly, those without sin should cast the first stone[3], but there are truly some rogue states in this council who have no standing when it comes to defining how to protect human rights. Coming immediately to mind are India, Pakistan, Gambia, Somalia, the UAE, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Today, the UN voted to sanction Russia and remove it from the council. The vote was 98 for, 24 against, and 58 I don’t want to get involved. So, who voted against sanctioning Russia?
Votes against included Russia (no surprise) and all the countries who like Russia like China, Syria, Cuba, Vietnam, Belarus, Yemen, most of the ‘stans, etc.
Those who abstained were mostly 3rd world countries that had little to gain and much to lose if Russia comes back from its pariah status.
In an interesting display of “I’ll show you” Russia claimed they couldn’t be suspended because they quit! Not the whole UN mind you, just the Human Rights Council.
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