I recently read an article in which the author put forth the notion that one of the first casualties of Gulf War Two was the United Nations. According to the article, the fact that the US and Britain – two permanent members of the UN Security Council – have initiated military action against Iraq without first getting approval from the Security Council, has made the organization irrelevant. I say this is wrong – the UN was irrelevant long before this current crisis with Iraq.
Looking back over its history the UN has had a record of mixed success. While there have been some accomplishments in the area of humanitarian assistance, even those have been less than optimum. At the center of all of this have been the resources of the United States. With regard to everything from food aid to military resources to diplomatic clout, the foundation of the United Nations’ ability to do anything meaningful rests on the contributions of the United States. Despite this, since the fall of the Soviet Union the United Nations has increasingly become both a clearinghouse for anti-American rhetoric as well as an over bloated bureaucratic entity obsessed with increasing its power. It was because of this that the UN prevaricated on Iraq for 12 years. That prevarication has now been brought to an end in spite of the UN’s best efforts to maintain it.
The UN was never meant to be a place where the President of the United States needed to go to get approval for anything; that place exists at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. We must act or not act of our own accord as our interests dictate for the welfare and safety of our citizens. While this does not mean we should indiscriminately throw our weight around everywhere on the Earth, it does mean that we must do what’s necessary despite the opinions of other nations.
In the end, the actions of France and others have shown that we can rely on no one except for the British and ourselves. The US does not benefit in any way whatsoever from membership in the UN. Like an insidious snake, it creeps forth and erodes our sovereignty and our constitutional rights. To save our republic we must bid it farewell and send it on its way. Our future existence depends on it.
Scott Wacholtz is a senior majoring in political science. Any UN sanctions can be directed at aramis1642@hotmail.com.