Abstract

Real UN Reform

The article focuses on the state of the United Nations (UN). Those conservatives who think that "UN Reform" means the dissolution of the United Nations are now calling for the resignation of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Sadly, the dust they are raising about the alleged UN oil-for-food scandal obscures the importance of a report, "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility," that Annan has just delivered on how the world, and the UN, should cope with the threats of the new century. Many people will focus on what the report says about which countries should be on the Security Council. While Japan, Germany, Brazil, India and South Africa are often mentioned as suitable candidates for new permanent seats, there are other aspirants prepared to filibuster them, not to mention countries like China and the United States that weigh applicants by how often they have lent them unconditional support lately. It is time for the United States Democrats and the increasingly embattled rational wing of the Republican Party to insist on a constructive engagement with the rest of the world in general and with the United Nations in particular, both on this report and on reform of the UN.