h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121000768.html

I agree with Annan’s sentiment. When I was listening just now to the excerpt from the BBC world service (you can see more on their web site http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6169669.stm). It was summarized to a sound bite of the 5 lessons:

1/ Collective responsibility
2/ Global solidarity
3/ The rule of law
4/ Mutual accountability
5/ Multilateralism


When I heard that I thought items 1, 2, 4 and 5 are the same thing - support the UN. It's only in the expansion of the full speech that you see the differences in the points he makes. Just goes to show that watching TV news does not give you the whole story!

Other than that it seems to me that the UN is fatally flawed because its members look after their parochial interests so strongly that the case for solidarity is lost before they start.

Case in point is Darfur. China relies on Sudan for much Oil, and Russia for Arms trade. So in the security council action is stymied. This happens time after time, in different manifestations. Sometimes the US/UK grouping, sometimes the Continental European grouping, PRC, Russia, etc. etc. This leads to inaction mostly, or when frsutration builds up unilateral action. Evil persists and is formented not becuase it is desired, but becuase the alternative, affirmitive unselfish action is too hard.

The UN represents an ideal that the world only pays lip service to. Whilst intellectuals may wish things where different, the nations represent their tribal loyalties, and where democracy rules the people vote them in because by and large that is what people mostly seem to want - their selfish interests served first. Even if that in the long run causes the most pain.

It's a sad situation what we need (as the philosopher Jacques Maritain said) :

Modern civilization is a worn-out garment. One cannot sew new pieces on it. It requires a total and, I may say, substantial recasting, a transvaluation of cultural principles. What is needed is a vital primacy:

* of quality over quantity,
* of work over money,
* of the human over the technological,
* of wisdom over science,
* of the common service of human persons over the individual covetousness of unlimited enrichment, and
* of the common service of human persons over the State's covetousness of unlimited power.

-- Integral Humanism, 1947.

Something fundamental has to change. Until we see that, we can expect more of the same.

G K Chesterton in a famous response to a essay competition on the theme of "What is Wrong with the World?" responded correctly and succinctly.

His response: "Me."

BTW - Jacques Maritain was largely responsible for drafting the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)