Democracy in action... or not
Yet more proof that governments -- whether democratic or not -- don't listen to their constituents. According to this survey, the publics in both China and the US are overwhelmingly in favour of the Security Council being able to authorize intervention in countries where human rights are being abused. And yet time after time, I watch the Permanent Representatives of these two countries block such action in the Council...
WORLD PUBLIC OPINION FAVORS STRENGTHENING THE UNITED NATIONS
United Nations, 10 May 2007: A majority of people around the world favor strengthening the United Nations to increase its role in peacekeeping, fighting terror and in stopping nuclear proliferation, a new survey has found. A large majority of those polled in 18 countries representing 56 percent of the world's population believed the UN Security Council should have the right to authorize military force to prevent genocide, with the highest levels of support in France (85 percent), Israel and the US (83 percent). The survey was conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.Org and released at the United Nations today. Working with several polling organizations around the world, the Council also found that a majority in eight countries led by China (76 percent), the US (74 percent) and the Palestinians (69 percent) felt it was the Security Council's "responsibility" to intervene militarily to protect people suffering from human rights abuses. A large majority of Americans believe that the United Nations plays a necessary role in the world and supports US participation in the UN. In a February 2005 Gallup poll 64 percent Americans lauded the role of the UN, while 34 percent said it did not play a useful role.
posted by E @ 9:18 AM
3 Comments:
Before we can make any real progress on the global level we'll need to drastically overhaul the United Nations. It needs to put it's trust in the principle of democracy...
www.UnitedDemocraticNations.org
That's my 2-cents on this issue.
gary
Indeed, Gary. And no one is more acutely aware of that fact than the UN apparatus itself. Unfortunately, it is the Member States that must truly commit to reform, and to date the political will is sadly lacking. Until that commitment is real, the UN will continue to be the straw man for the failures of its constituent parts.
Nor will creating a new world body help. The problem is not the institution, it's the State system itself. Any new organization spawned of that State system will suffer exactly the same failings.
Democracy begins at home. If the UN Security Council is to be democractic, then citizens of the Permanent Five veto-wielding members need to insist that their governments make it so. Exercising democracy in the US, UK, France, China and Russia (to the various extents possible) is the responsibility of everyone who believes the UN needs overhauling.
> Democracy begins at home.
I fully agree, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't put forth proposals for improving the situation on a global level as well. Creating a vision of our future is exactly what is needed to get people off their duff. That or a nuclear bomb taking out NY and London simultaneously. I perfer the carrot approach.
gary
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