A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Smart Mobs: "A Washington Post article on attempts to present real social problems as tasks to be solved in a video game. For instance, the United Nations' World Food Programme released a game called Foodforce, in which the player must figure out how to feed an island of people."
Magpie: "UN officials are warning that a measles epidemic could hit the survivors of the South Asia earthquake. According to the World Health Organization, the collapse of the devastated region's health system makes it vital that children be vaccinated against the disease as soon as possible."
Feministing: "The United Nations said yesterday that poverty can't be adequately addressed until it takes on social, economic and physical discrimination against women. "Gender apartheid" could scuttle the global body's goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015, the U.N. Population Fund's annual State of World Population report said."
Carpetbagger: "A top United Nations envoy returned from the Darfur region of Sudan recently and had discouraging news: the calamity is actually getting worse: "I found the situation much more dangerous and worrisome than I expected it to be," said [Juan Mendez, special adviser to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan], who just completed his second visit to the region in the past year. "Until last week, there have never been concerted, massive attacks of an indiscriminate nature against civilians" in camps in Darfur. Mendez was prepared to share his findings with representatives on the U.N. Security Council, but was denied the opportunity - by Bush's man at the U.N., John Bolton."
Waveflux: "A few weeks ago, my brother told me that he was leery of the news nowadays because the headlines seemed to be one full-on catastrophe after another. This weekend was no exception. Pakistan took the brunt of the 7.6 quake on Saturday, but India and Afghanistan were also affected. CNN has published a couple of stories about relief efforts, here and here. Initial U.S. reconstruction/relief aid of "up to" $50 million dollars, eight military choppers dispatched, other assets coming (likely from Afghanistan, I'm thinking). UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) is moving emergency medical supplies, children's clothing, water purification materials, nutritional supplements, and blankets and plastic tarps to northern Pakistan. UNICEF needs donations now."
Insecurity Forum: "From europaworld.org: Annan: Intellectual Breakthrough On Security, Development, Rights - "Beyond specific commitments ranging from strengthening humanitarian mechanisms to reforming UN management, Secretary-General Kofi Annan this week hailed a global mind-change at last month's United Nations World Summit that linked security, development and human rights. "I think in a way we did make a sort of intellectual breakthrough at the Summit, as the Member States accepted, or acknowledged, for the first time the indivisible links between security, development and human rights," he told an Executive Committee meeting of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva."
Stygius: "Via nadezhda's links, Reuters: "Ambassador John Bolton blocked a U.N. envoy on Monday from briefing the Security Council on grave human rights violations in Sudan's Darfur region, saying the council had to act against atrocities and not just talk about them..." Let's take a moment to remember what kind of "action" Bolton prefers in the face of atrocity and genocide."
Trigger Fish: "Mass industrialization has contributed to a perfect storm for avian flu to break out?: "[I]ndustrial chicken operations are growing exponentially thanks to the resettlement of large agribusinesses in search of lower operational costs. Last year in Latin America and the Caribbean, there were over 2.5 billion chickens, nearly 1 billion more than 10 years ago, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. In 2004, according to Worldwatch Institute, Brazil became the world's second-largest poultry producer, just behind the United States. Such expansion of industrial farming in less developed countries usually is accompanied by poor surveillance and control."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Mobjectivist: "Finally, someone noticed the lack of balance in the so-called Iraq Oil-For-Food (OFF) scandal stories over the past few years... as of June of this year, the geniuses at Powerline blog had contributed a total of 26 stories on oil-for-food but none on peak oil/oil depletion."
Scrutiny Hooligans: "I heard on NPR this morning that the Shiite/Kurd coalition reversed themselves and returned to the original rules regarding this referendum. *loud sigh of relief* It appears that the U.N. still has some oomph in this regard. Here's to you, Kofi, for helping to defend democracy where others might seek to subvert it."
Hit and Run: "With the president's opponents always ready to call him a dictator, I feel compelled to tamp down the Chicken Little panic over totalitarianism created by President Bush's suggestion that he might use the military to quarantine areas hit by the avian flu. [I]t wasn't Bush who first raised the possibility (at least not in public). He was replying to a question about the possibility.: "...during my meetings at the United Nations, not only did I speak about it publicly, I spoke about it privately to as many leaders as I could find, about the need for there to be awareness, one, of the issue; and, two, reporting, rapid reporting to WHO, so that we can deal with a potential pandemic. Obviously, the best way to deal with a pandemic is to isolate it and keep it isolated in the region in which it begins."
In the Bullpen: "Yes...the nuclear program that "doesn't exist" won't be used for "peaceful purposes only" it seems. From the Washington Times: "Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group. ... "The military under the new president is firmly in control of the nuclear program and the nuclear negotiations with the United Nations and the West," said Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI's foreign affairs committee, in a telephone interview yesterday."
Moquol: "Iraq Parliament Reverses Rule Change: "Iraq's National Assembly voted on Wednesday to reverse last-minute changes it had made to rules for next week's referendum on a new constitution following criticism by the United Nations and a boycott threat by the Sunni minority." This story doesn't do a great job of explaining the sham Khalilzad and the US and the Iraqi government were trying to pull on the Iraqi people. You can see the writer's agenda as well, describing the system set up to ensure minority and regional representation as a "loophole." But the UN did their job (funny how they keep seeming to do that despite being mocked and belittled at every turn by the US) and shamed the Iraqi government into restoring the rules everyone had agreed to."
Norwegianity: "Via Daou I encourage you to read Kofi and the Scandal Pimps, and if you're a wingnut, I double dare you to read it."
Penraker: "After loads of jibber jabber about how Sunnis in Iraq hate the new constitution, we finally have some data. The Iraqi Center for Development and International Dialogue (partially funded by the United Nations) says: "Although support for the constitution was particularly high in the northern Kurdish areas and southern regions dominated by Shi'ites, Mr. Hafedh said it topped 50 percent even in central provinces known as the heartland of Sunni unrest -- a sign, he said, that the Sunni-Shi'ite split is not as wide as many fear."
Voice in the Wilderness: "It seems that -- surprise! -- the Afghanistan elections have been found to have been, as Carlotta Gail of The New York Times puts it, rife with "significant incidents of fraud." In Monday's paper, she writes: "Whole districts have come under suspicion for ballot box stuffing and proxy voting, said Peter Erben, the chief of the United Nations-assisted Joint Election Management Board. He said ballot boxes from 4 percent of the 26,000 polling places - about 1,000 stations - had been set aside for investigation on suspicion of fraud and other irregularities. (Read the entire article.)"
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Suburban Guerrilla: "Case Study: How the right-wing media methodically exaggerated and distorted the oil-for-food scandal."
Rob's Blog: "Trimming the fat could do with a start in Iraq, where we've wasted hundreds of billions. Some examples: On 12 April 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority in Erbil in northern Iraq handed over $1.5 billion in cash to a local courier. The money, fresh $100 bills shrink-wrapped on pallets, which filled three Blackhawk helicopters, came from oil sales under the UN's Oil for Food Programme, and had been entrusted by the UN Security Council to the Americans to be spent on behalf of the Iraqi people."
King of Zembla: "At last the people of Afghanistan know what it's like to live in, say, Florida. Or Ohio: "Election officials and observers said Sunday that with 80 percent of the ballots counted in Afghanistan's national and provincial elections, they had found significant incidents of fraud. Whole districts have come under suspicion for ballot box stuffing and proxy voting, said Peter Erben, the chief of the United Nations-assisted Joint Election Management Board. He said ballot boxes from 4 percent of the 26,000 polling places - about 1,000 stations - had been set aside for investigation on suspicion of fraud and other irregularities."
Protein Wisdom: "From BBC News: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has topped a BBC poll to find the person most people would like to lead a fantasy world government. More than 15,000 people worldwide took part in the interactive Power Play game, in which players were invited to choose a team of 11 to run the world from a list of around 100 of the most powerful leaders, thinkers and other high-profile people on the planet... And UN General-Secretary Kofi Annan just made the fantasy world elite in 11th place."
Terrorism News: "This is an interesting read By Luciana Bohne from online journal: "Most Americans like to believe they live in the best country in the world. They don't. According to the United Nations Human Development Report for 2005, Norway is number one. Why? It's a welfare state. There is a pleasant economic equality enjoyed by the Norwegian polity. No one is too poor; no one is too rich. In fact, great wealth is regarded as some sort of social disease. Third oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia, Norway is tucking away a national fund of over $180 billion for when the oil runs out, guaranteeing each family the quaint sum of $22,000 per year-in addition to guaranteed health care, education, pensions, and paid maternity leaves and vacations to die for! True, a glass of beer will cost you $8, but the waiter makes a good salary."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Outside the Beltway: "The UN is warning that the Asian bird flu could spread to humans and kill up to 150 million people."
Fed Blog: "John Bolton made clear Wednesday that he believes the United Nations has systematic management problems, but the new U.S. ambassador to the world body said he held out hope that those problems could be fixed."
American Future: "Reassuring words from Tony Blair's speech at the Labour Party Conference: "British troops whose bravery and dedication we salute, along with those of 27 other nations, have been in Iraq with full United Nations authority and in support of the Iraqi Government."
Balloon Juice: "I am a little fuzzy on the science of this: "Capturing and storing the carbon dioxide generated by power plants and factories could play an important role in limiting global warming caused by humans, says an international climate research group associated with the United Nations. In a new report the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says doing so could cut the cost of stabilizing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere as much as 30 percent compared with other options, like switching to cleaner technologies." So they will capture it, pipe it somewhere, and store it in big tanks and wells forever?"
Centerfield: "Reuters: With Katrina and Rita dominating the news recently, there's a good deal of talk out there about the relationship between hurricanes and climate change (or global warming). And it comes down to this: Are these larger, more powerful hurricanes related to climate change, or not? Reuters: "Scientists say it's not easy to tell if global warming caused hurricanes Katrina and Rita but on Monday they forecast more unpredictable weather as Earth gets hotter. 'Global warming, I think, is playing a role in the hurricanes,' said Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. 'But a lot of what is going on is natural. What global warming may be doing is making them somewhat more intense,' said Trenberth, a member of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.'"
Informed Comment: "The United Nations is urging member states not to send Iraqi asylum seekers back to Iraq, since it is too dangerous."
Nuno Macedo: "Today was the first day of the UNHCR annual consultations with NGOs that will last the whole week. As intern of the UN Liaison Office of the General-Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, I could not miss it! So there I go to the plenary session... We then had a very inspirational speech from Gil Loescher, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Relations of Notre Dame University, who was nearly killed in the bombing at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad in August 2003. At a moment of the speech he said something that made the entire assembly hold its breath, more or less like this: ...it was with them (speaking about refugees) that I learnt how to survive and live under difficult conditions which, ultimately, has been very useful for my own recovery (he made his speech in his wheel chair)."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Beautiful Horizons: "The United Nations has just adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights and the International Commission of Jurists are all hailing the document in a joint announcement. They are also urging all nations to ratify the document."
Brian Barder: "Blair's great failure lay in not having insisted from the outset, as an absolute and immutable condition of UK participation in the use of force against Iraq, that military action must have the prior approval of the Security Council in a new and explicit resolution. To go ahead without it was a plain breach of our international law obligations: it was, and is, an illegal war and its authors are war criminals. It's no good Blair arguing that we couldn't get UN approval because France would have vetoed any resolution that would have granted it: that's a disgraceful lie, as anyone who takes the trouble to read the transcript of the relevant Chirac television interview must realise."
Cuanas: "In an indispensible article, from National Review, Michael Ledeen warns that we had better do something Iran very soon: While most media attention has been devoted to the "diplomatic" United Nations visit of Iran's brand new terrorist president, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nezhad, the fascinating turmoil within Iran, both inside the mullahcracy and between the mullahs and the Iranian people, has gone largely unreported."
Dean's World: "The United States is in sharp contrast with Britain, where laws against self-defense combined with the toughest firearm restrictions of any democracy coincide with a rapidly rising crime rate: "In a United Nations study of crime in 18 developed nations published in July, England and Wales led the Western world's crime league, with nearly 55 crimes per 100 people." Given these facts, it's clear that the anti-defense Left is basing their ideas on wishes and dreams, not reality."
Insecurity Forum: "We are living in a world that is growing smaller, and in a period when the agenda of peace and human security is assuming increasing priority. Beginning from the early years of the post-cold war era, and more prominently since the fateful events of "9/11", the agenda of human security has increasingly assumed an urgency of global proportions. It is quite clear that research on peace and security is now subject to broad national, regional and international debate. Besides several Seminars and Conferences held such as this one by EADI, discussions are under way in major international forums, such as the African Union, the United Nations and other forums to find lasting solutions to conflicts."
Thomas Paine's Corner: "Bush and his minions lied to Congress to launch the invasion, defied the UN and international law, and, according to John Pike of GlobalSecurities.org, are establishing 12 of what the Pentagon propagandists call "enduring bases" in Iraq.... The US government needs to respect international law, treaties, human rights, and the autonomy of sovereign nations, and to participate fairly in the UN."
Window Washer: "The United Nations 2005 World Summit came to a close Friday, leaving many disappointed that little was achieved in regards to the Millennium Development Goals. But activists pledge not to be disheartened by this failure of world leaders to take action against poverty. Read IPS coverage of the summit that, despite its shortcomings, likely will set the stage for future international relations and development."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Penraker: "In spite of widespread reports of starvation, North Korea has decided to turn away food aid from the U.N. So what if six million more people die of starvation?"
Daily Sophist: "I just wish Katrina had only hit the United Nations building, nothing else, just had flooded them out. And I wouldn't have rescued them." - Bill O'Reilly on the September 14th edition of the O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly's words flew back in his face when Media Matters for America notified the UN of the crude and hateful comment. He still refuses to apologize but now on his show has added Media Matters for America to his list of people for his viewers to hate."
Dwight Freisen: "Watch and truly listen to this brief message from Kofi Annan. Many people around the world are observing a minute of silence in prayer for peace at noon today."
Lilac Phonograph: "Today is the United Nations International Day of Peace. It was originally established in 1981 but not fixed to a specific date until - ironically - the morning of 11 September 2001, largely thanks to the work of Jeremy Gilley from Peace One Day. Please take a moment to read Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Message and reflect on the number of people who will be maimed, killed or made to suffer today because of conflict."
Powerpundit: "Epidemic" in Indonesia: "JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia called an outbreak of bird flu in its teeming capital an epidemic on Wednesday as health and agricultural experts from around the world converged on Jakarta to help control the virus. The U.N. World Health Organization last week warned bird flu was moving toward a form that could be passed between human beings and the world had no time to waste to prevent a pandemic, an outbreak that spreads far more widely than an epidemic." And if it strikes here, we're not even close to being ready to deal with it."
Two Peas, no Pod: "Bill O'Reilly, host of Talking Point and The Radio Factor, commented on his radio program that he wished hurricane Katrina had hit the UN Headquarters in New York, rather than New Orleans. This on the day the World Summit opened. Nice work Bill. The UN Foundation has called for an apology and retraction. I hope they're not holding their breath."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Secular Blasphemy: "Its credibility bruised by the false intelligence on Iraq's WMD programmes, the US was unable to fully convince its allies that Iran had nuclear ambitions. Luckily, we should almost say, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to the US' aid by making thinly veiled threats to the UN General Assembly."
The Pen: "I liked "The Interpreter" not only because Nicole Kidman looked pretty hot. Given all the problems dogging the United Nations, I still believe in the place and what it can do. I'm an optimist and an idealist."
Bump in the Beltway: "Amid Warnings, Richer Nations Seek Protection From Bird Flu - As World Health Organization officials repeat warnings about the potential for a deadly bird flu pandemic, wealthier countries are redoubling efforts to buy an experimental vaccine and antiviral drugs in the hopes of protecting their citizens from infection. At the United Nations on Wednesday, President Bush proposed an "international partnership" to combat the disease, and the United States announced last week that it had placed orders for $100 million worth of a promising but technically unlicensed vaccine that is under development by the French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis. "We cannot afford to face the pandemic unprepared," Lee Jong Wook, the director of the World Health Organization, said Thursday at the United Nations." This isn't a bad round-up article. Finally, the American media are beginning to pay attention."
Democracy Arsenal: "After an embarrassing fizzle of a global summit intended to tackle UN reform, the U.S. and the world organization need to figure out what's next. Ideas are proliferating: Ivo Daalder at Americans Abroad suggests replacing the global body with a comparable forum whose membership would be limited to longstanding democracies. The Wall Street Journal editorial page wants to put Turtle Bay in trusteeship to be run by Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. Before drowning UN HQ into the East River, its worth keeping in mind the many things the UN does well (here's a list of 10 important ones). But it's also time for some new thinking on the UN's shortcomings and what might be done to tackle them. Here are 10 ideas - some serious, some slightly fanciful..."
Informed Comment: "Patrick Cockburn of the Independent now confirms that report based on his own sources, saying that actually between one and two billion dollars were embezzled from the Iraqi ministry of defense under Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan. It was always mysterious where Shaalan came from. He is said to have been a former member of the Baath Party from Hillah in the Shiite south. Ahmad Chalabi alleged that he was a double agent for Saddam in the late 1990s, spying on the dissidents. He then went to the UK. When the US and the UN installed Iyad Allawi as interim "prime minister" on June 28, 2004, Shaalan became minister of defense."
Left Coaster: "Congratulations to the Bush Administration, and those inside the administration who argued continuously for negotiations with North Korea, against the hard line thinking of Dick Cheney and John Bolton, on the good news that an agreement was reached late today on a comprehensive preliminary agreement that appears to end Pyongyang's pursuit of a nuclear weapons program. Now perhaps the administration can see from this victory the fruits of multilateral pressure, rather than war, and cobble together an international wall of opposition to the saber-rattling from the new nutcases in Iran about their nuclear aims."
Watchdog316: "Between the years of 1962 and 2000, a 38 year period: Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa; has seen a reduction in glacier content of fifty-five percent. COMPACT, the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation project, put forth by the United Nations Development Program is entering its second phase in efforts to save this natural wonder."
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 "A World Without The UN and 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."
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Counterterrorism Blog: "When the world's statesmen gather in New York September 14th to open this session of the General Assembly they will grapple with UN reform. Perhaps they will make some progress toward that end. But, they will fail in strengthening the UN's role in combating terrorism if they fail to lay the necessary common foundation for fighting terrorism that a clear definition would provide."
Democracy Arsenal (David Shorr): "As the main instrument of international cooperation and the world community's only meeting place with universal membership, the United Nations has great potential to marshal collective action on today's challenges from terrorism to poverty reduction to human rights and nuclear non-proliferation. But it can only achieve this potential if the world's leaders pull together."
Bildt Comments: "It's a sunny and nice morning in New York, and leaders are starting to gather for the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations. Over the weekend, talks have been continued in a smaller group to see if it is possible to reach agreement on a document for the summit starting on Wednesday. But the reform process is now down to rather few issues. It will be an important meeting, but I fear we should not expect too much in terms of important results. At the moment, avoiding a break-down is the number one priority."
Captain's Quarters: "James Traub provides a thought-provoking analysis of the systemic problems of the United Nations in today's New York Times, and what might be done to ameliorate them."
Craig Cheslog: "While most Americans are understandably focused on the Katrina disaster, it is worthwhile to take a look at a diplomatic problem being created by UN Ambassador John Bolton. Steve Clemons links to a story in The Guardian: "The British government is mounting a huge diplomatic effort this weekend to prevent the biggest-ever summit of world leaders, designed to tackle poverty and overhaul the United Nations, ending in chaos. The Guardian has learned that Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, has made a personal plea to his American counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, for the US to withdraw opposition to plans for wholesale reform of the UN."
GOP Vixen: "I had heard about this a few weeks ago from one of my sources ... Iranians from all over the United States are merging in New York to protest against the Islamic Republic president Ahmadi Nejad in New York City on Wednesday September 14th 2005."
Informed Comment: "The final text of the Iraqi constitution has still not been worked out, and so the United Nations cannot begin to print it in several million copies so that Iraqi voters can read it before the October 15 referendum. It is going to be very difficult to get the printing and distribution done with only a month to go."