What is your opinion of the United Nations?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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The Sticks, Northeast PA.
When was the last time you heard about a country "taking something to the UN"?
Some believe the UN is this ultra-powerful secret org. that runs everything. My opinion is that we gutted the UN, so as not to intrude in our international dealings. and no country really objected.
 

The United Nations is like a police force. You don't judge them by how much crime exists in the community. You judge them by how much crime would exist in the community if they weren't around.

The UN gets a lot of criticism. And part of that is the political game of what we are going to fund.

But the UN does endless simple, basic projects...like getting food, clothing and shelter to the poor and refugees.

And, it serves as a format where world leaders can interact.


So, it is always going to be better to have it, than not have it.

As far as it being better? Well, the world has big competing political factions. One side wants to do one thing, the other side wants to do the opposite. So, the UN is always going to get caught in that mix.

It's a huge bureaucracy, trying to wind its way through incredible problems.

Personally, I am annoyed at many things they either do, or don't do.

But, I do write that off to the political struggles from competing sides...and not to the incompetence of the UN itself.
 

Laurie said:
Like democracy itself, it's flawed but it's all we have until something better comes along.
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Where do you suppose or why do you suppose something better will come along and where do you suppose it will come from? Where I’m from, even neighborhoods are mostly not united. It seems a lofty goal that whole nations, let alone the entire world, will ever be united about anything. What if this is as good as it gets despite all of our efforts?
 
fuzzybuddy said:
What is your opinion of the United Nations?
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A necessary but inefficient and ineffective organization...

I did some work for the UN a few years back, mostly in Geneva. The only thing that impressed me positively were the translators, by far the best I have ever experienced. The organization itself struck me as a hugely ineffective bureaucracy... makes the US Government look like a well oiled machine. Lots of wasted money and corruption.

That said I do think we need something like it where the countries of the world can try to talk and work with at least some degree of cooperation.
 
Geezer Garage said:
It might actually do some good if they would boot out all the countries run by dictators
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Not sure I agree, as despicable as some regimes are I think we still need some lines of communication to those in charge.

And there would be the problem of deciding who should be in or out. I suspect there are people who would like to see the US out. Simplest just not to decide.
 
I agree that we need a global organization that gives a voice to all nations.

IMO it also has to have some mechanism to provide equity to all nations and their concerns.

IMO the odds are against it ever happening, at least in my lifetime.

The-difference-between-the-terms-equality-equity-and-liberation-illustrated-C.png
 
Imagine, coexisting! It seems like that's all that most nations are united in preventing.
But nations are made up of people with imaginations, aren't they? What makes it so
hard for people to become united? It's in the name of my country, The UNITED States
of America but how united are they really? Seems more like the untied and tangled
states of America to me these days.
 
Chris P Bacon said:
Where do you suppose or why do you suppose something better will come along and where do you suppose it will come from? Where I’m from, even neighborhoods are mostly not united. It seems a lofty goal that whole nations, let alone the entire world, will ever be united about anything. What if this is as good as it gets despite all of our efforts?
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I'll take those questions to be rhetorical.
I'm just a humble maths teacher, retired.
 
Warrigal said:
I'll take those questions to be rhetorical.
I'm just a humble maths teacher, retired.
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They're only semi-rhetorical. I'm a humble postman, now retired. But with all the tools and technology we have and 8 billion (or so) minds to consider what can be done, if this is the best we can come up with, then yes, maybe our world is doomed, united or not. If there are to be any solutions to the problems of our world, it will have to be the people living in this world who solve or fail to resolve them.

Some folks say that god is going to fix everything but he's had plenty of time and doesn't seem to have done much so far. What happens if there is no god, no matter what the faithful believe? And the devil, well, as bad as I've heard he is, he hasn't destroyed us yet. It seems more like person against person is what's making the world so hard to get along in. What if there's no devil either? What if all the people of all the nations are both god and devil combined? Is there hope? Maybe but maybe not.
 
I never agreed with how the secretary general is appointed or agreed upon. There have also been times when smaller, less powerful countries have had the ability to control U.S. forces as they so desired, even though the U.S. was the giant and had more experience in such matters. I know that some U.S. Generals have spoken out against such matters when it had happened.
 
Yes, useless, like NATO! They seem like elitist organizations who don't want "the wrong kind of people",
as they may be a liability down the road.
IMO, If someone is crying for help, dive in and save him! Don't question if he is part of your organization or not!
 
Gaer said:
Yes, useless, like NATO! They seem like elitist organizations who don't want "the wrong kind of people",
as they may be a liability down the road.
IMO, If someone is crying for help, dive in and save him! Don't question if he is part of your organization or not!
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Hi Gaer! Hope you have a nice weekend!

Too early in the morning to think about politics yet. I think I need some coffee. Maybe something stronger!
 
The United Nations has impacted the lives of millions of people for the better by promoting issues of human rights, hunger, security and peace. Yes, they are flawed, but as Warri said "It should be cherished, nurtured, and improved."
 
Gaer said:
Yes, useless, like NATO! They seem like elitist organizations who don't want "the wrong kind of people",
as they may be a liability down the road.
IMO, If someone is crying for help, dive in and save him! Don't question if he is part of your organization or not!
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What I believe is authoritative organizations can and will always be corruptible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's in our nature. Maybe one day we will be able to genetically engineer ourselves to eradicate violence and greed and all the "harmful thoughts", but is that a way to live? To be reduced to a hive mind like creature, with no free will and individuality. There's no total security and peace without control. I think what we can do to still keep our humanity and live a good life is to understand that there will always be evil in this world but also try to tip the balance a bit by making sure the good outweighs the evil.
 
RFW said:
What I believe is authoritative organizations can and will always be corruptible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's in our nature. Maybe one day we will be able to genetically engineer ourselves to eradicate violence and greed and all the "harmful thoughts", but is that a way to live? To be reduced to a hive mind like creature, with no free will and individuality. There's no total security and peace without control. I think what we can do to still keep our humanity and live a good life is to understand that there will always be evil in this world but also try to tip the balance a bit by making sure the good outweighs the evil.
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I like comedian Louie Anderson's line. ---- War? I have the cure to war. That's easy. Plane, over the battlefield...air drops Peanut M&Ms down. Problem solved.
 
Chris P Bacon said:
Countries currently at war 2022 and the year is just beginning!
View attachment 213741
Can you point out Ukraine on this map? Neither can I!
But it’s mentioned at length on the page where I found this map.
It looks like 2/3 of the African continent is at war.
I don’t see much United Nations here except united in wars.
Antarctica isn’t a country but a continent. So its​
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I think poor old UN has taken enough beating for today.
 

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