Seems to me the UN has been rather ineffective in this crisis....

[lastlib]

With Russia having a key seat and a veto on the Security Council, seems to be very little this body can do to assist Ukraine.

I think the world needs a different organization--a "United Democracies," if you will--that includes all the democracies of Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas, countries who support an international rule of law, a democratic order, human rights, and other principles of democracy in the world. Such an organization could more broadly and effectively punish the rule-breakers like Russia, North Korea, and the other bad actors/dictators in the world.

I'd be interested in DUers' perspectives on this.

[WHITT]

1. Well

in this instance, they are superseded by NATO.

[texasfiddler]

2. I like the idea of the UN and Democracy. However, resolutions don't cut it.

I thought the "Korean War" was a UN action. I could not imagine something like that now.

[lastlib]

5. It was only a UN action because the USSR walked out of the Security Council....

...thus losing the opportunity to exercise its veto over the resolution to go into Korea. They never made that mistake again.

Resolutions can have teeth if those behind it can agree on mechanisms to enforce them. A global alliance of democracies could be a formidable force with its command of international economic power.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. The UN is as effective now as the League of Nations was in the 1930s

And perhaps will end up the same way.

[radius777]

4. Agree completely, the UN is a debate society

that enables and legitimizes many rogue regimes.

In the 90s, iirc, Bill Clinton had to go around the UN security council (to get around Russia) and through NATO to stop the genocide in Bosnia.

NATO should be expanded to include all types of countries that support democracy, to effectively form a blockade against tyranny throughout the world.

[lastlib]

7. I don't think it should be a creature of NATO....

But certainly NATO's members should be part of it (w/ possible exception of Orban), along with the Pacific region's democracies like Japan, South Korea, and yes, Taiwan.

[dem4decades]

6. When Russia is talking as the head of the Security Council at the same time its troops

are invading a sovereign nation, yes I would agree, absolute bullshit. Why bother?

[Hoyt]

8. UN is better than nothing. It didn't stop bush either.

[OAITW r.2.0]

9. Time for a new vote on the Security Council.

Or abolish it all together. The original purpose was to insure world stability....it doesn't seem to be accomplishing that.