It's now been more than 400 days since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Every minute of those days brought untold suffering to combatants and non-combatants on both sides of the conflict..Yet, despite the senselessness of it, the war in Ukraine accomplished one thing of note. It underscored how utterly dysfunctional the United Nations is. Canada would be well advised to consider withdrawing its participation and funding from such a wayward entity..Having read that opening paragraph, I ask that you now close your eyes and listen carefully. It’s entirely possible you will hear a chorus of impassioned indignation towards my premise led by those who hold romanticized views of the UN. But that’s what I do, I’m an opinion writer, and I suspect many Canadians share this one..In theory, the UN should be one of humanity's ultimate accomplishments. After all, the preamble on their website is incredibly compelling..“We the peoples of the United Nations determine:.• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and.• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and.• to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and.• to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom...”.Those lofty ideals are great in theory, but they aren’t reflected in the conduct of the organization. The reason why lies in how the organization is structured..There are five permanent member of the United Nations — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These nations were granted permanent membership on the Security Council based on their importance in the aftermath of the Second World War. They each hold significant power in the form of a veto, which can be used to prevent any substantial resolution by the UN from passing. In an ideal world this wouldn’t be a problem, except that world doesn’t exist..History shows all the permanent members of the security council are quick to make war, directly or through proxies. While Russia may be the most recent and flagrant offender, only a cynical revisionist would overlook occasions such as America's fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for example..The membership of many UN committees is another aspect of the organization that's highly flawed. Take, for example, the fact Afghanistan holds a seat at the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW.) While the seat was won in 2020, prior to the takeover of the Taliban in 2021, the country holds that seat until 2025..While the new Islamic Republic is not officially recognized by the UN, nothing says “promote social progress and better standards of life” less than having a country on the CSW whose ‘government’ excludes women from public office, tells them how to dress, and prevents them from attending school..Then there are the security council resolutions themselves. In general most of them are ineffectual statements which amount to nothing more than vacuous virtue signalling. Resolution 2679 is a good illustration of this; passed on 16 March of this year, it reaffirmed the council's support for “a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan” while also expressing “concern at the lack of progress on the Security Council’s expectations of the Taliban.”.Having some first-hand experience with the Taliban, I can assure members of the Security Council those terrorists won’t lose a wink of sleep over this resolution. Nor will it have a tangible impact on the quality of life for those suffering under their rule. It’s meaningless..So, to summarize: we have an organization with permanent members accountable to no one, who can arbitrarily veto any resolution on a whim and regularly give a platform of legitimacy to despots and dictators from around the world. It hardly seems right that Canada invests so much energy and funds to champion it..While it’s difficult to refute the fact the United Nations made significant contributions to the world's collective wellbeing, there’s no denying it’s moral compass is badly broken. Those who hold the compass, the permanent members, are mostly to blame for this sorry state of affairs. But that doesn’t excuse the other member nations, Canada included, that collectively seem to have lost the ability to differentiate right from wrong..Addressing the final session of the League of Nations (the precursor to the UN) one of its original architects, Robert Cecil, was prescient when he said, “…I venture to impress upon my hearers the great work of peace is resting not only on the narrow interests of our own nations, but even more on those great principles of right and wrong which nations, like individuals, depend.".As a nation, if Canada knowingly trails the lead of a misguided organization such as the UN, we only have ourselves to blame when we find ourselves lost and in chaos. The current path being set for us by the UN may lead to a destination we aren’t keen on when we arrive. This is why perhaps it may be time to chart our own course..Usually once someone does, others see all the new possibilities and potential it has to offer and will follow.
