Basic HTML Version
of the world's confticts arise out of
the global East-West struggle for
power, threatened vetoes by either
the Soviet Union or the United
States assure nonaction on the rnost
serious challenges to world peace.
Making Matters Worse
Not only has the United Nations
been locked into its own self-paral–
ysis, rnany secondary conflicts,
assert U.N. critics, are actually
rnade worse. This is because the
General Assernbly, which deliber–
ates world issues and recornrnends
action by the Security Council,
quickly evolved, after its founding,
into a forurn for nations to argue in
rnuch the same way as pol itical par–
ties assault each other within a
nationaJ parliament.
Said retired U.S. arnbassador to
the United Nations, Jeane Kirkpat–
rick, the General Assernbly does
indeed operate. rnuch like a parlia–
rnent or congress. There are parties,
only here they are caBed the West–
ern powers, the Afro-Asian-Third
World bloc, and nonaligned states
(rnany of whorn are part of the sec–
ond or Soviet "party" as weJI).
Moscow, Mrs. Kirkpatrick fur–
ther asserted, has learned how to
play the U.N. political game well,
far better than Washington. The
Soviet Union works hard at swinging
other nations over to its viewpoint.
In turn, it supports the newer
nations of Africa and Asia regarding
their particular concerns, thus build–
ing a sizable Soviet-Third World
coalition on rnany key issues.
Because of the politics practiced
in the United Nations, not only are
rnajor issues left virtually unat–
tended, rnany regional disputes are
often elevated to world crisis level.
As a result, said Mrs. Kirkpatrick,
"what goes on in the U.N. actuaJJy
exacerbates confticts.... All kinds
of countries that don't have any
direct
inter~st
in a conflict get
involved in it. As a result, you rnight
say all conftict is globalized."
The U.N. General Assernbly,
even sorne of its hard-pressed sup–
porters in the Western Wo rld
adrnit, has become skewed in its
perceptions of what are and what
are not true world problerns.
While wars rage in Southeast
Asia, Afghanistan and the Persian
Gulf, and farnine threatens to take
4
the lives of millions in the Horn of
Africa, the United Nations contin–
ues to focus prirnarily on events in
the Middle East and southern Afri–
ca. These two areas are interlinked.
South Africa is repeatedly de–
nounced for its racial policies, and
the General Assernbly, 10 years
ago, declared that Zionism, the
political rnovernent that brought
J ewish people back to their ancient
homeland, is "a for rn of racism."
This focus is further enhanced by
the presence at nearly all rneetings of
the United Nations of two unofficial
political groups that do not represent
nations at all- the Palestinian Lib–
eration Organization (PLO) and the
South-West Africa People's Organi–
zation.
The latter, known as
SWAPO, is a Marxist
body fighting for control
o f South-West Africa/
Narnibia. SWAPO has
been designated by the
United Nations as the
"sole legitimate represen–
tative of the Narnibian
people."
legitirnacy of the struggle of the
oppressed people of South Africa
and their liberation rnovement by
al/
available means, inc/uding armed
struggle for the seizure of power by
the people.
... "
Little wonder tbat a forrner U.S.
ambassador to the United Nations
once called it "a very dangerous
place."
UNESCO Crisis
Because of the deteriorating cli–
rnate it should come as no surprise
tbat a crisis is building inside the
intricate web of internationaJ orga–
nizations constructed since the end
of World War II. Not only is the
United Nations affected directly,
Last surnrner, the au–
thor visited the new and
huge U.N. cornplex in
Yienna, Austria. After
being shown onc of the
general plenary halls, I
asked the guide who used
the chairs at each side of
the presiding officer's ta–
bles at the front of the hall.
They were for the nonvot–
ing representatives of the
PLO and SWAPO, carne
the reply.
The PLO once even
took part in a U.N. con–
ference on civil aviation
and airplane hijacking!
June 26, 1945: Delegates from 50 nations approve
United Nations Charter. Secretary of State Edward
J. Stettinius signed for the U.S. (above photo);
Moscow's Ambassador to the U.S. (and now Foreign
Minister) Andrei A. Gromyko (photo right) signed
for t.be Soviet Union. Tbe United Nation's
"swords-to-plowshares" symbol, a reference to lsaiah
2:4, is the work of Soviet sculptor Yuchetich.
In 1980 a resolu tion
was adopted by 118 votes to 1
O
in
the General Assernbly (with 15
abstentions). Befare we proceed,
rernernber that Article 2 of the
U.N. Charter proclairns that "all
Members shall settle their interna–
tional disputes by peaceful rneans"
and that "all Mernbers shall refrain
in thei r international relations from
the threat or use of force against
the territorial integrity or political
independence of any state."
Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly
approved resolut ion reaffirrned "the
but so are the 15 other related
agencies, the rnost recognizable
being the United Nations Educa–
tional, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, or UNESCO.
On the last day of 1984, the
United States forrnally relin–
quished its rnernbership in UNES–
CO. With its departure, Washing–
ton also withdrew its 25 percent
budget appropriation.
Great Britain, a short while ear–
lier, began its own termination pro–
cess, giving the mandatory one-year
The PLAIN TRUTH