The UN's claim to moral authority.Back in 2001, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. was voted off the UN's Human Rights Commission for the first time since its inception in 1947. When that happened, a variety of reasons were given as to why such a vote occurred: the U.S. opposed the Kyoto treaty on climate change (a treaty based on highly flawed and disputed "science" that would have seriously damaged the American economy); the U.S. insisted upon creating a missile defense system Noun 1. missile defense system - naval weaponry providing a defense system missile defence system naval weaponry - weaponry for warships (strictly defensive, it did not have offensive capabilities); the U.S. had the death penalty (we executed convicted murderers); the U.S. imposed trade sanctions Trade sanctions are trade penalties imposed by one or more countries on one or more other countries. Typically the sanctions take the form of import tariffs (duties), licensing schemes or other administrative hurdles. on Iraq after the Gulf War (these sanctions, ironically, were the outgrowth of a UN-led effort). The countries voting against the U.S. deemed these actions to be human rights violations. Supposedly, because the countries were morally indignant about our "violations," they censured the U.S. In reality, the censure A formal, public reprimand for an infraction or violation. From time to time deliberative bodies are forced to take action against members whose actions or behavior runs counter to the group's acceptable standards for individual behavior. In the U.S. of the U.S. was a petty political maneuver, reflecting the UN's anti-U.S. agenda. A recent action at the UN again exemplifies the lack of credibility the UN has in making claims of moral authority. Cuba, Zimbabwe, and Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia (sä  `dē ərā`bēə, sou`–, sô–), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. have been named to the five-member group called the Working Group on Situations, which is the screening panel that decides which accusations of human rights abuse will be scrutinized by the UN Human Rights Commission. None of these countries holds human rights in high regard. In Saudi Arabia, women are treated as inferior to men, and "in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe's dictatorship dictatorship Form of government in which one person or an oligarchy possesses absolute power without effective constitutional checks. With constitutional democracy, it is one of the two chief forms of government in use today. is imitating Stalin by seizing private farms and driving millions toward starvation," noted the February 10 Investor's Business Daily Investor's Business Daily (IBD) is a national newspaper in the United States, published Monday through Friday, that covers international business, finance, and the global economy. Founded in 1984 by William O'Neil, its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. . The article also commented: "Fidel Castro's Cuba fails the human-rights test on all counts." Those who have long defended the UN, using the justification of the need for the UN's moral guidance, need only to examine the day-to-day happenings at the UN, and the fact that Russia has been on the Human Rights Commission since 1947, to know there is no such guidance. |
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