We seriously need a stronger UN...

[Gravitycollapse]

We need a UN that is passionate about diplomacy and human rights. Yet powerful enough to intervene on behalf of victims of war crimes and despotic regimes.

I realize in some diminished capacity, the UN already does all of those things. But imagine if it was seen to its full potential.

It's not only to protect the world from the "other." It's also to protect the world from us and people like GW Bush. The UN has such great potential to instill peace and community here and abroad.

Anyway, I'm just rambling. But this really does bother me.

[Scootaloo]

1. No, we just need to abolish the UNSC's permanant one-vote veto powers

There's no logical reason in the fucking world that one out of five nations, out of the 193 represented by the UN should be able to say "no" and thus throw away anything without a second glance.

Like China, the US, France, Russia, and the UK are somehow the fucking paragons of ensuring peace in the world.

[Gravitycollapse]

2. Yes, obviously the permanent statuses of those nations need to be challenged.

[pampango]

3. Actually, well said. A stronger UN is distrusted by the sovereignty lobby on the right.

Many on the right suspect that the UN is the beginning stage of the New World Order that will rule the world.

Of course, national politicians (liberal and conservative) from many countries have an institutional interest in a weaker UN. A strong UN might impinge on 'sovereign rights' of countries to start wars, kill or torture their own citizens, etc.

For instance, the Responsibility to Protect was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005 and by the Security Council in 2006. Of course, despite the approval of all of these countries its implementation, its implementation has been inconsistent due to national sovereignty concerns (which you would think governments would have considered before approving R2P in the first place).

"It's not only to protect the world from the "other." It's also to protect the world from us and people like GW Bush." - You are right. The UN should be valuable in protecting 'us' from 'the other' but also in protect 'the other' from 'us'.