The U.N.May Have Jumped the Shark

Is the UN outdated, bloated, and over? I suspect so. By having meetings with dictators, we are showcasing people who would be marginalized if we didn't bring them an audience of global media.
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The United Nations meeting yesterday stunned me. I grew up thinkingthe UN was one of the pinnacles of global achievement. And I thoughtdisrespectful debate was the province of the USA until I heard Gadhafi and Ahmadinejad. Now I wonder if the UN is worth stopping NYC traffic for.

I'm pretty much a disciple of Ghandi, so I understand why Obamawould address the United Nations, trying to "be the change" he wants tosee. But I also wonder if when the US media calls out these guys as"crackpots," we are seeing things through our own eyes and those of ourallies, or through the eyes of their constituents. How do I know howmuch credence to give these unfamiliar-behaving world leaders?

I'm troubled by the fact that, even in the Internet era, Ican't get a good fix on whether these guys represent mainstream opinionin their countries, or are indeed the lunatic fringe. Ghadafi, whowanted to pitch a tent on Donald Trump's lawn because he doesn't likeelevators, is a little easier to dismiss than Iran's president, but he,too, seems not to be an accepted leader in his own country. And Karzai?Another crooked election?

So is the UN outdated, bloated, and over? I suspect so. Byhaving these meetings, we are showcasing people who would bemarginalized if we didn't bring them an audience of global media. Orare we showing different points of view about the world that need to beaired? How crooked are our own elections?

At times like these, I think I don't get out of my comfortzone enough, and that perhaps I should go to places like Pakistan,Afghanistan, Libya and Iran before I accept the judgment of the cablenews networks that I so readily dismiss on issues like health insurancereform, where I possess enough information to form my own judgment.Knowledge is power.

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