UNITED NATIONS

"Because the UN is no more and no less than a group of the world’s states, it should be no surprise that it is largely dominated by undemocratic and otherwise failed versions of same. It thus readily serves as a bully pulpit for pontificating tyrants and as a forum for the legitimacy of failed governments. Here we note not only the aforementioned Chavez diatribe, but also Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad’s address on the same day as President Bush, and the Cuba-led, 118-member-state Nonaligned Movement’s petition demanding a change to the current “unjust, hegemonic” character of the world. Each case exemplifies the enabling of deviant state behavior at the expense of U.S. interests. Ultimately, a body seeking to serve such parochial interests can serve no legitimate interests at all.

So, if bodies like the United Nations and its august predecessor, the League of Nations, can’t work, what’s left? Is the U.S. left to go it alone?

If a given foreign-policy objective is only in our nation’s best interest, the answer is yes. Fortunately, however, this is rarely the case—there are usually allies to be found. The stirring success of such organizations as NATO, in stark contrast to the UN’s abysmal failure, points the way. Because of its members’ shared values, NATO served as a bulwark first against a resurgent Germany, and soon thereafter against the menace of Soviet Communism. Today, NATO continues to serve the interests of democratic states in their stand against Islamist fascism. Even when some of its members “demur,” the infrastructure of NATO works for its willing members.

So, rather than putting our faith and funding in global organizations where no consensus on any substantive issue is possible, the U.S. should invest in alliances with those who share our values and concerns. UN Ambassador John Bolton’s very best efforts to the contrary, we shouldn’t be wasting our time with a woefully corrupt and fatuous body that allows the likes of Cuba, Sudan and Libya to sit on its human-rights commission. Rather, when circumstances merit, let us ally ourselves with those who share our values of self-determination, religious liberty and democracy—when necessary, let us ally ourselves with the West."

-- The Patriot