Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, meets with Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria, in Damascus
When precisely did Kofi Annan catch on that the the UN Security Council is a dysfunctional and ineffective body that specializes in big pronouncements accompanied by little action?
The former United Nations Secretary General announced he’s abandoning his effort to find a workable solution to the crisis in Syria, because the Security Council was wasting its time on “finger pointing and name calling”.
While Syrians are being killed by the thousands, and refugee camps are swelling with families fleeing the fighting, the members of the Security Council are busy squabbling.
At an impromptu press conference, Annan said he accepted the role when it seemed the international community led by the U.N. Security Council could help end the violence, enforce a cease-fire and bring about a political transition.
But the former U.N. secretary-general told reporters he cannot go on when the 15-nation council provides no backing for his role, particularly because of the standoff between its five veto-wielding members: Russia and China on one side, the United States, Britain and France on the other.
… “When the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger pointing and name calling in the Security Council,” Annan told reporters in Geneva. “It is impossible for me or anyone to compel the Syrian government and also the opposition to take the steps to bring about the political process.”
The former secretary general professed to be disappointed by the situation.
[More]
See Also:
Gurney: Turkey takes the lead on bringing Assad down
Russia denies plans to send ships to Syria, says Annan needs to be ‘urgently’ replaced
More killings reported across Syria as U.N. sees battle for Aleppo looming
Three million Syrians need food, farming aid as crisis wrecks harvest
I’m not going to say much because I’ve been on about this situation before always noting that the UN history of preventing violence, death and starvation in basket case nations is abysmal. The only place I can think of where it was to some degree successful was Cyprus and THAT problem remains unsolved after more than four decades.
Since then it’s been one failure after another usually resulting in the death of thousands (if not millions) of innocents in each blowup as the “big boys” play war (think Cambodia). Syria is just the latest example of what idle international “chit-chat” accomplishes as the UN in it’s latest “massive screwup” appears to be “stuck on stupid”.
Watching this situation and noting the UN Security Counsel is again the bottle neck to progress due to permanent veto power by the five “opposed powers” I became curious as to whether that power should be removed by the UN General Assembly and I suspect they have no such authority else it would have happened long ago.
Would it be a good thing if they could? I went searching.
My conclusion: Probably not because of the danger of third world countries banding together and stealing everything first world countries have built one way or another (usually by outvoting them). That, in my mind, is why the veto exists and will continue to do so.
Having said that I’ll add this.
If the UN can be nothing more than a “chit-chat” club with no real power at all why in the world are we paying out so much money to keep it running?
Truthfully, I have no idea. The thought boggles my tiny mind. I freely admit that there may very well be good reasons why this debacle continues this day but it has also occurred to me that something else could easily take it’s place — something with real teeth — and maybe that is where our money should be going.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink the entire situation because first world nations can do better and we owe it to a world we care about to stop the violence — the ongoing hate and the death — which the UN appears powerless to interfere with.
Update and “Off Topic”: People checking my stats the past few days should not become alarmed. Sitemeter is changing servers and it’s clear they are running into problems. Since they have treated me well over the years I’ll “hang in”. They need “space” to sort out the mess. I’ll give it to them.
It gives a place where self important and vaccuous blowhards can get their egos massaged as they pretend to care about what is happening in the world. A greater waste of money will never be found.
mid island mike