A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Moderate Voice: “Afghans flocked to the polls to vote in the country’s first democratic parliamentary elections in 35 years: “…We did see some procedural irregularities but nothing that I consider systemic and which would have influenced the overall conduct of the election,” said Peter Erben, the chief international election officer with the United Nations-assisted Joint Elections Management Board.”
TAPPED: “In a press conference shortly following the adoption of the document on UN reform on Tuesday, Kofi Annan tried to put as positive a spin on the outcome as he could. But he was both unable and unwilling to ignore the conspicuous absence of any mention of disarmament and nonproliferation, which he called “a real disgrace.”
Outside the Beltway: “Because of the diversity of the member states, there is little chance of achieving consensus on even the most fundamental issues. The underdeveloped states see the U.N. as a giant teat from which to suckle money from the prosperous whereas the West sees it as a mechanism for spreading democracy, law, and order. Reconciling those visions is next to impossible.”
Feministing: “Among the MANY newsworthy things going on this week, UN Headquarters in New York is hosting the World Summit, a follow-up to the 2000 Millennium Summit that resulted in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals being promoted by the UN, targeting everything from ending world poverty to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide. While the MDGs have been criticized by many women’s rights organizations for not being inclusive enough of women (for example, check out this great article by MADRE), they are a start.”
Liberal Avenger: “That’s right, it’s Bolton time! He’s been hard at work at the UN’s current meetings, which have produced some less than stellar results.”
MBlog: “The headlines say it all – “Poor nations lose in watered-down UN document.” If you were wondering what sort of impact John Bolton would have at the UN, look no further. From The Guardian: “Final draft a bland version of Gleneagles promises. No new money for aid and debt relief.” What a world we live in. Those that exploit get to argue over the extremity of their usury while those that they exploit must not only struggle to survive, but also politely endure the indignity.”
Today’s Democracy: “I have made it no secret that I thought the UN has need reform for a while. There is a place for the United Nations. In both “Questioning our U.N. Role, organizations like the United Nations, as the primary example, have a role to play. I am not of the opinion that complete abolishment is the right answer nor am I an advocate. Obvious to me, the potential role of the U.N. is enormous. However the UN should be providing military intervention for humanitarian reasons. Humanitarian is the key word.”