A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Agonist: "LAT - The United Nations World Food Program said it has suspended aid shipments to Somalia after gunmen hijacked a vessel it chartered and demanded a $500,000 ransom."

Democracy Arsenal: "The Bush administration's options for advancing the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations are now dwindling, and one that officials are now considering is the recess appointment. Bolton's own supposed reluctance to accept a recess appointment may reflect a recognition that interim status would compromise effectiveness. The latest word is that the Senate Republican leadership is realizing this truth as well, and may now try to fold the Bolton nomination into some sort of broader reform pitch. Meanwhile, reform negotiations at the UN are proceeding apace. While its leadership has often been lacking, the U.S. delegation is taking a mostly reasonable line and making progress toward key reforms of the UN's Commission on Human Rights, its peace-building capabilities, and its approach to terrorism. An ill-conceived recess appointment should not be allowed to jeopardize this."

Juan Cole: "Carl Nyberg, a former UN peacekeeper in Cambodia, writes: "I'm skeptical of putting much hope into a UN solution for Iraq's security problems. I was a UN peacekeeper in Cambodia, but don't want to lean too heavily on my personal experience. What I learned from my experience is that it is almost impossible for one person to capture the full story of something as complex as a UN peacekeeping mission."