Rothkopf: Shunning the World

In a long and rambling post David Rothkopf froths that the recently agreed upon Security Council resolution strengthening North Korean sanctions means that the United Nations should be disbanded. Really.

“watching the UN continue its kabuki theater concerning North Korea makes me want to shut the place down, convert it to condos and remit the funds to the former member states. Even in a down New York real estate market it is almost certain to be a better return on investment for the dollars poured into that white elephant on the East River than “outcomes” like the proposed sanctions on Pyongyang.”

I really wish that people who wish to be taken seriously as foreign policy commentators would refrain from this kind of hyperbole and give serious thought to the consequences of their words. Does Rothkopf really believe that recalling over 100,000 peacekeepers around the world, including places like Haiti, Darfur, Liberia and Lebanon, is a good idea? Does he think that sending humanitarian assistance to starving populations is a bad idea? Does he think that coordinating a global response to pandemics should be left to individual countries?

The UN is an easy punching bag for pundits and politicians looking for a scapegoat. But posts like this from Rothkopf are simply irresponsible. To be sure, there are legitimate question to be raised about the utility of this latest round of Security Council action on North Korea. But, as Madeline Albright liked to point out, blaming the UN in these instances is sort of like blaming Joe Louis Arena when the Red Wings lose.

Also, what’s with his use of the term “bitchlet” to describe his daughter’s elementary school classmate? Isn’t it time we move beyond these derogatory gendered terms?