On Sun, 12 Jan 2003 14:39:25 +0100 (CET) [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Richard Menedetter) writes: > > And the world has changed as well ... > now the UN can do much good ... >
Hi Ricsi, Keep in mind that the UN is an organization of national governments. UN membership merely represents the fact that the previous members have agreed by vote to allow newcomers to join. If you recall the former Yugoslavia, you'll probably remember the dialog about the right of members states in the Yugoslavian Confederation to opt for cessation and whether the UN members should recognize the newly declared state. Until Germany and Austria announced that they would recognize Slovenia, the other UN members (including the USA) maintained that Slovenia was a rebel province and everybody agreed to respect the international boundaries of Yugoslavia. Internally, national governments function as they wish (on internal issues). So the world really hasn't changed that much since the Westphalia Treaties. Were it not so, states like Sudan would have been under UN control for many years. What WOULD be a change in global politics is a way to universally recognize the rights of minority groups within nations, without first requiring a destabilizing foreign intervention and change of national leadership. I obviously am not an advocate of a greater UN. I have yet to see a situation where the local people agreed that the UN presence in their homeland was a positive thing. I asked one guy in Kosovo if he could name ONE country where a UN intervention has fixed the problem. I'm still waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, I'll continue with my theme of advocating a completely free and open exchange of information among people as a prerequisite for freedom and peace. And Arachne is a GREAT tool for empowering the little guys for THAT. CU, 2 Butyl Bob - the organic radical - ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com
