Implications Post

If the United Nations does not solve their problems and get things straight, there might not ever be a world that can live peacefully. The United Nations needs to solve their long-lasting and unsolved problems or else they will fail. This website goes into great detail about these long-lasting problems. I believe that the United Nations has to lose the image that they are a Democratic Organization, so that they can experience success. If the United Nations does not change, they are destined to fail.

If the United Nations fails, we could all be in big trouble. With Nuclear Weapons being so rampant and rulers being crazier than ever before, I can foresee a nuclear war breaking out if no one intervenes. The United Nations would be a key asset in pushing world peace, instead of world war.

If the United Nations fails there will be no bridge that connects small countries and large countries. The only ties that nations will have with one another are military and economical ties. There will be no other similarities between the nations, and we will revert to a pre-World War I style of diplomacy, where the large nations rule the world. Being a United States citizen, it sounds good to me; but, there are other people in the world who don’t want to live by our rules. If the United Nations fails, terrorism will rise to an unprecedented height, wars will break out, and the Middle East will never become stable. All the work that the United Nations has done in Darfur will be for nothing. I seriously hope the United Nations resolves their problems and undergoes reform, if not we could all be paying the price soon.

Self Analysis (part 2)

When I analyze my writing on this blog, I see that it is not my best work that I have done in an English class setting. Most students would see this and be upset, worry that they will get a lower grade because of it. Through this blog, I realize that my imperfections in writing have added to my blog, given it personality. Sure, if there were so many mistakes that this blog was unreadable or my message was damaged, we would have a problem. I feel that through this blog, I have been able to be creative in an English environment on a topic that genuinely interests me. Instead of doing research to find information that supports my thesis, I read information and drew my assertions from there. I see that when I would write for English class, I would write in a linear form tying together information in hopes for and A. On this blog I am able to think big picture, and think in full circle. Analyzing the information, my views, and the views of my classmates. Sure, I came in with a relatively well defined belief system, and a political background that is pretty defined. Still, I was able to find new and relevant information that allowed me to see both sides of the argument. My position on the argument did not change all that much, I believe that currently the United Nations needs to be reformed because of the large amount of problems that surrounds them. Hopefully one day they will be the mediator that the World currently needs and will need then.

Annotated Links

http://www.un.org/en/

This is the United Nations webpage. Through this you can find a lot of information pertaining to the United Nations on this page (imagine that!). They put all of their news on the side and you can find lists of all current members of the Security Council on this page.

http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/

This is a page sponsored by the United Nations which shows all of the Global Issues the United Nations is currently working on fixing. On the right side of the screen there are the main issues (there are 10-15 there) and those are the ones that are most important. If you click on those, you can see what the United Nations is doing to fix some of those issues

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/ and http://www.foxnews.com/world/index.html

Both of these websites have bias, so you need to check them against each other to get the true story usually. However, they are very good resources to see what is going on in the world. In my opinion these are the two best websites to use for United Nations news, because they show both sides of the argument I have been talking about. They are, in my opinion, the two quickest and most up-to-date news website on the World Wide Web.

http://www.antiwar.com/stromberg/?articleid=740

This shows some of the lasting problems of the United Nations, and is also a very interesting read. I encourage my readers to skim over this and just grab some information. The first paragraph is my favorite because it says what I have been trying to say really well.

http://unworks.blogspot.com/

This is another blog here on blogger.com and it focuses on the good of the United Nations. The author seems to be pretty insightful and publishes some quality posts. This adds to the argument that the United Nations is worth keeping because it does some good in the world.

Personal Problem with the United Nations

One of my biggest problems with the United Nations is a personal problem, and by that I mean that are not many people who share this same ideal with me. If I were to establish a peacekeeping moderator like the United Nations, I would not want the same 5 countries running it all the time. Especially when many of the countries have different core value systems that make these negotiations almost impossible. For instance, when the Security Council was first establish there was almost a dichotomy between the United States and the USSR. The United States was a Democracy, valued the individual, pushed for peace, and did not want to use the Nuclear Bomb again. The USSR was a Communist Dictatorship (that killed almost twice as many people under Stalin than Germany did under Hitler), did not believe in individualism, wanted to spread Communism by invading the surrounding nations, and was working on acquiring a Nuclear Weapon. Shouldn't something have been done then? Of course nothing good is going to come when you have 5 countries running an agency, and 2 of which hate each others guts! Why doesn't the United Nations ditch this whole idea of having nations running the United Nations and instead try as hard as possible to get non-partisan people from each nation running it. Hopefully this way world politics can stay out as much as possible. Instead of having Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State for the Obama administration represent the United States in the United Nations, why doesn't the United States vote in their representative? Other countries can do the same. It would be a direct democracy going into the United Nations and the people voted in would have less ties to the leaders of the Countries they are representing. This way they can think more clearly and opened minded, which would hopefully lead to a better world.

Blogs I Read

American and Iranian Relations

I find this blog really interesting because the author not only covers modern day problems between American and Iran, but also provides the historical knowledge that goes along with it. Some of the information that I cover on my blog is also covered on this blog as well. It allows me to see a different point of view on information that I was/am writing on. If you want to learn about the voting "scandal" or anything else, you should check out this blog.

http://americanforeignpoliciesandiran.blogspot.com/

The impact of Superweapons

I find this blog interesting because both superweapons and superdefense is covered. The author shows how the two actually go hand in hand with each other. Information is covered from Star Wars (the movies) to "Star Wars" (the Reagan administrations SDI attempt). There are posts of Weapon of the Week and other things to keep the reader interested. I have learned a lot about new technological advances in warfare that could come about in the next few years. Anyone who likes technology, warfare, or learning in general should spend a couple minutes on this blog.

http://supertechblogger.blogspot.com/

Battles between Race and Healthcare

Personally, I appose the new proposed healthcare bills that are running through the House and Senate in Washington right now. However, I did not think it to be a racial issue. Through this blog, I have seen that there are some racial tensions tied to this bill. A large amount of the people who would receive help from this bill are African Americans, and the proposed cuts from Social Security would affect the older generation that lived through the Civil Rights Movement. While these battles with racism may be subconscious, they are still there. Still, I appose the healthcare bill, but I see where the author draws the notion that some could be basing their support or dissent on racism.

http://battleswithrace.blogspot.com/

United Nations in Darfur

The United Nations mission in Darfur is one of the largest missions worldwide, if not the largest. The mission is called African Union: United Nations mission in Darfur. It was started rather recently, in July of 2007. So far this mission has had a decent amount of success because the United Nations has joined forces of with the governments and militaries. This mission deals with both Social Issues and the HIV/AIDS issues. The United Nations estimates that there are over 1 million lives at stake in this civil war that is taking place in Darfur, and that is why it is one of their top priorities.

I think that when peace is wrought in Darfur, the United Nations should be seen as a more legitimate policy making bureau. This is only if a) Peace stays in Durfur for a long period of time and b) if the United Nations does this without the help of any large nation who will take the credit for it. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done about Darfur, and I assure you that the United Nations is doing all they can. Sometimes, this may not be good enough, be we can only hope in the long run that the United Nations work is good enough.

Self Analysis

When I decided to do my blog on the problems surrounding the United Nations, I was very much against the United Nations as a whole, and thought of them as a wasteful group because of all their unresolved problems. Still, I believed they are an organization worth saving, because of the values behind the organization as well as what they are capable of bringing about in our world. I believe that if the United Nations is able to help create a more peaceful environment in the world, they are a success. I believe that the United Nations will have to give up their Democratic ideals and realize that they are not a world government. I believe the United Nations will only be influential once they start to make policies that the large nations of the world will approve of. This does not mean the United Nations should start making policies that are one-sided and favor large nations, but instead provide incentives to both large nations and smaller nations.

When creating an argument that favors or opposes the United Nations, it is important to remember what issues are facing the United Nations at certain periods of time. The United Nations currently has a limited ability to act, therefore will only act on the most important issues. Also, with no major way of enforcing their resolutions, the United Nations is very limited in how much enforcing they can do.

Theory Post

To bring an end to the Problems surrounding the United Nations there needs to be multiple reforms, they need to gain legitimacy, and they have to start being able to reinforce the resolutions that they pass. I believe the United Nations will have to give up being a Democratic Organization and realize that they are not the World’s Police or the World’s Government. In some ways this will require them to give up some power. I believe that once they establish themselves as the World’s mediator they will be an successful organization. They will the power to pass resolutions and enforce them once large nations like the United States start to uphold them. In the defense of these large nations, so far the United Nations has passed resolutions that favor smaller nations, which makes it more difficult for larger nations to agree with them. If the United Nations can prove they are useful and can resolve problems the polarized sides will dissolve. This is because one side pushes for more power to the United Nations and another pushes for the United Nations to give up. I believe the United Nations need to give up some power in order to gain more back later. It is a risky maneuver, but I think that it just might work.

United Nations Secretariat

The Secretariat is the Bureaucracy of the United Nations. Currently, there are about 30,000 employees Worldwide. Out of the 30,000 employess, 35% work at the headquarters in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. To create an analogy to the American Government. This would be like having a very condensed government. Instead of being widespread and having courts all over the place along with smaller governments, the United Nations has large fixtures which make the Secretariat very hard to contact. In reforming the Secretariat, some of the reforms could make the United Nations more transparent, more accountable, and more efficient. Some have even said that including direct election of the Secretary-General by the people (representatives of nations) would be an acceptable reform.

Other reforms that could do the United Nations some good would be to create more councils similar to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which was voted in in March of 2006. A council like this could specialize in a certain area of world peacekeeping and would allow for the United Nations to be more efficient. I believe that the United Nations, and most other governments in the world, could be more efficient. If it calls for the United Nations to give up their ideals of Democracy, then they must do so. The United Nations likes to call itself a Democracy, when really a Democracy would have either a Direct Election of the leader. The United Nations is not a World Government, but a forum for nations to come and resolve issues. If more councils need to be created, or the title of Democracy taken away, then the United Nations must do so.

Update

The New York Times has released an article stating that Iran may endorse a deal that would send Iranian Uranium abroad for peaceful purposes. The fact that this is a deal brought about and made through the United Nations could lead to more negotiations between Iran and the United Nations. While the shipment of Uranium is of the less important issues surrounding Iran today (at least to the American People). I personally hope these talks will lead to more serious talks with Iran about issues such as Nuclear Weapons and their role as a "Democracy" in the Middle East. Hopefully Ahmadinejad will be able to meet with some of the United Nations representatives and resolve some of the issues that have been problematic and newsworthy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/world/middleeast/27iran.html?_r=1

In other news the United Nations has delayed a Climate Change Treaty which was expected to come in the next few days. I can only wonder if this treaty will be released with a close proximity to the Cap and Trade Bill in the United States Congress. It would allow all the major news networks to cover climate and global warming for a few days, which could lead to more support for both bills/treaties that would be passing through their respective voting process. I will try to keep you guys updated on the news on both of these things.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010141942_apununclimatechange.html

Analysis Post of the Problems in the United Nations

The United Nations is the largest (162 members as of 2006) international peacekeeping authority. However, it is understood that the United Nations is having problems with being recognized as an authoritative, worldwide authority. These problems have been around since the United Nations was founded and put into action in 1945. There are 2 basic ideas where it comes to the United Nations: 1) Every Nation should immediately recognize the authority of the United Nations, or 2) the United Nations should give up and realize that they have no power.

United Nations should gain Authority
This view believes that having a United Nations is integral to the safekeeping of our world and will help stop another large-scale, or World War from happening again. People who agree with the previous statement believe that the United States should set an example and start to follow the rules and regulations of the United Nations. People who follow this view believe that the United States, or any other nation, should not undermine the authority of the United Nations and go against their word. A lot of these views stem from the United States decision to invade Iraq in 2003, after the United Nations voted not to.

The United Nations should give up

This view believes that the United Nations should accept that they are wasting time and stop trying to assert the authority that they do not have. People who agree with the previous statement believe that all nations are going to act in their own interest and that a superpower, people who follow this philosophy believe that the United States is the main superpower, should regulate the world. These people supported the United States decision to invade Iraq in 2003, even after the United Nations voted against it. They cite that when the United Nations sent weapons inspectors and peacekeepers to the Iraq border, they were turned away because the Iraqi Military knew that the United Nations had no power.

My View

I believe that the United Nations needs to recognize that they have no power, but they should not give up or disband. I believe that the United Nations may be an idealistic group, we need to have a group that can maintain peace in the future. I believe this because as we get more technologically advanced, more countries are going to have large-scale weapons. No country (besides China) could afford to go to a large War right now. Still, most countries around the world have the standing militias and weaponry to be fighting in large battles in a week. With all this being said, I believe the United Nations needs to find a way to enforce some of their regulations without the help of foreign governments. This would increase their prestige and presence around the world. In the end, I do believe it will take a "superpower" nation, like the United States, to formally recognize their presence before they are cemented as THE peacemaking authority on the planet. I do no think the United States should be the country to cement them as the authority, I believe this endorsement will have to come from England and a couple other European Countries. This will lead to allied countries of these nations also recognizing the United Nations power.

Resources

http://www.un.org/en/

http://www.undispatch.com/

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/united_nations_problems.htm

http://www.antiwar.com/stromberg/?articleid=740

http://www.foxnews.com/

http://www.cnn.com/

http://www.dadalos.org/uno_int/grundkurs_5/frieden.htm

http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C14%2529United%2BNations%2524&contentSet=GSRC&sort=Relevance&tabID=T001&sgCurrentPosition=0&subject

http://school.eb.com/all/eb/article-9074310?query=United%20Nations&ct=null

http://school.eb.com/eb/art-68877/First-session-of-the-United-Nations-General-Assembly-January-10?&articleTypeId=1

http://en.rian.ru/world/20091019/156523849.html

http://www.slate.com/id/2192718/

http://www.slate.com/id/2192718/

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htmhttp://ppjg.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/united-nations-plans-to-emerge-as-the-controlling-government-how-declaring-a-pandemic-enlarges-the-united-nations-power/

http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2006/07/26/case_law_student_working_with_united_nations_researches_issues_related_to_accused_international_war_criminals

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-practical-problems-faced-by-the-UN

http://www.un.org/Depts/dda/WMD/treaty/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/nuke.htm

http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-institutions_government/un_paradox_4073.jsp

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1103/p02s01-woam.html

http://www.betterworldcampaign.org/issues/peacekeeping/

http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/

http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C14%2529United%2BNations%2524&contentSet=GSRC&sort=Relevance&tabID=T001&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=SRC-1&searchId=R2&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=conc67094&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(SU,None,14)United+Nations$&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=EJ2104241292&docType=GSRC

United Nations and Iran

"MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said that Monday's talks between Iran and world powers on a new uranium enrichment deal have started positively."

I read that in the news today, and I can only wonder, "How is the United Nations going to screw this meeting up?" I now realize where the United Nations screwed up, they invited France. Iran currently produces low-enriched uranium. The United Nations is now trying to get higher-enriched fuel to support the Health Research in Tehran.

Personally, I am hoping this this conference goes well because the good that can come out of this could lead towards conversation about Iran and their development of Nuclear Weapons. I believe that the current problems with Iran could be resolved if Iran and the United States would sit down and have someone mediate their arguments. The problem is that there is no authority with enough power to mediate between the two and be able to enforce their decision. I think that if this meeting goes over well, the United Nations could grow in power and prestige.

The United Nations is making strides to be able to mediate between the countries, but the countries should also send notable members of their government to these meetings. There should never be a United Nations meeting where Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden or Barak Obama is not present. Those three individuals are the three most notable members of our federal Government. For the purpose of name and face recognition one of those people should be present at all meetings. It is also important for President Obama to have meaningful visits to the leaders of foreign nations. Obama has met with many world leaders, but in my opinion many of those meetings accomplished nothing. When Obama goes to visit countries he should have a list of goals that he wants to accomplish.

All in all, these meetings that will take place for the next few days could set a new tone that could lead to a lot of good work...or the United Nations could screw it up once again.

Here is one of my favorite Poltical Cartoons. Drawn by Gary Varvel.

United Nations Debt

Throughout the 1960's to the 1980’s, the UN run up debts that were close $1 billion. In 1986, America refused to pay 50% of its annual contribution in protest at the influence newly emerging nations had or were attempting to get. America saw that a large nations were the nations that were paying a majority of the budget and believed that whoever is paying more should more input. Look at my previous post for a quote from and American Congressman that could be related. America pointed out that 85% of the UN’s budget was paid by just 20 nations yet many smaller nations were trying to reform the way the UN was run (especially its voting system) without making the same financial commitment to the UN. This sparked a series of problems, which lead to the USA and USSR going head to head in the climax of the Cold War. The USSR was slowly turning bordering countries to a Communist Government, but all of these Nations were very poor and unorganized. The USSR would push for the smaller Nations to get bigger input so that the USSR could use their authority to dictate how the smaller nations would vote. This lead to a period of the 1980's where the USSR would veto anything the United States proposed and the United States would veto anything the USSR proposed. There is not an official name for this period of the United Nations, but all we know is that nothing got accomplished and the debt increased. I believe that the United Nations should figure out a way to resolve these debts problems and, once again, the voting problems. I believe that is the United Nations is going to tax, every nation should be taxed the same percentage. I believe the five nations in the security council already have enough power, but the other big nations who do not have security council power (Germany, Canada, Italy, etc.) should play a larger role in the United Nations because they play a larger role in the World.

Enforcement and Voting

As I sit here eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I am hit with an epiphany, I realize another problem with the United Nations. The United Nations is set up where every Country gets a vote and they all count the same. This is much like the United States Senate, where everyone is represented equally. What the United Nations is lacking is another branch where population, involvement, or size allows bigger Countries to have more of a say. Now, I do not think that the United Nations should model themselves after the United States, but it should do something to fix the problems it is facing. The United Nations decided against moving troops into Iraq and instead sent "troops" (people that can show badges, but cannot shoot guns) into Darfur. The United States sent troops into Iraq after the United Nations choose not to, and has not sent Troops into Darfur. There has been considerably more positive effects that have came out of Iraq than Darfur in the last couple of years if you ask me. The United Nations should try to structure itself so that they can impose whatever they set out to do. In 1985 a U.S Congressman said this about the United Nations, "Voting rights (in the UN) should be proportionate to the contribution of each member state to the budget of the UN and its specialised agencies." Now, I do not necessarily agree with this statement, but it shows that the United Nations has been getting retrogradations for change for over 20 years.

Basic Information

The United Nations was signed into charter on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco. The original charter was signed by 50 nations, including the "Big Four" (United States, Britain, Russia, and China). Now there are 192 members in the United Nations. There is a Security Council within the United Nations that has 15 members. There are 5 permanent members (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members (currently: Austria, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam). The 5 permanent members hold veto power over the others, giving them a great deal of authority.

In recent years the United Nations has come under attack for not being able to enforce any rules and regulations they impose. Some believe the United Nations to be a waste because if there is no way of enforcing laws, then there will be no way to make nations adhere to them. Others believe that Nations should not undermine the authority of the United Nations. Many countries, including the United States, have acted when the United Nations has voted not to. In the United States politicians have addressed these Issues with the United Nations. Some believe that in order to be looked at more favorably by our peer nations we (the United States) should adhere to the policies of the United Nations. Others believe that if the United Nations is not going to act on our behalf, that the United States should take the initiative and act.

Readers should think about what the United States should do if the United Nations refuses to act. Does the United Nations have our better interest in mind? Should we undermine the authority of the United Nations? Can the United Nations be trusted to make some decisions for us? How will the United Nations enforce the decisions that they make. Lastly, is the United Nations capable of managing such a large world as ours?

What do you get out of this political cartoon?