On the eve of the invasion of Falluja, as American soldiers bravely prepared to risk their lives in defense of liberty, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan had only words of scorn. In a letter written to Iraqi interim Prime Minister Allawi, President Bush, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Annan warned that the use of force would only serve to “deepen the alienation of certain communities” and would be “very destructive” to Iraq’s political future. Obviously, Annan has gained a valuable insight that the governments of the United States and Iraq have failed to grasp. How else could he assert that the destruction of a hub of insurgent activity will not benefit Iraq? According to Annan, eliminating the malevolent guerillas who slaughter more and more innocent civilians and soldiers every day would in fact hinder the progress of Iraqi democracy. Annan seems to believe that the radical militants in Falluja who, through their relentless and vicious attacks, delay the realization of peace in the Iraq, should just be left alone. Annan has his priorities straight: he knows that the risk of “alienating certain communities” is too high to attempt to eradicate an unadulterated breeding ground of terrorism. Instead of invasion, Annan suggests that we negotiate with the terrorists. Annan believes that we should simply sort out our differences with these violent and irrational jihadists whose ultimate desire is to eliminate Western civilization. Annan knows that a few dead soldiers here and a few murdered civilians there is really no big deal; just look at Sudan. Waiting for a destined-to-fail negotiation process is much more reasonable. We should certainly heed his advice- secretary general Annan has proven himself to be an expert on negotiation with terrorists. The U.N. food-for-oil program is a perfect example. The goal of the program was to allow Iraq to sell a limited amount of oil in order to purchase food and humanitarian supplies. However, by alliances with friends in France, Russia, and China, and bribery of the United Nations itself, Sadaam Hussein was able to divert $21.3 billion dollars from the oil-for-food program into his own regime’s pocketbook. Through this scandal, Annan proved that negotiation is an effective tool for making lasting international friends. Annan and his organization recognize that breaking down international finance laws to line the coffers of a deranged terrorist was no big deal. Annan was able to look past the irony and see the real truth; he decried the American invasion of Iraq and revealed that the United States was motivated purely by oil, all the while fearing the destruction of his own Middle East oil interests. But corruption is nothing new for Annan either. In a survey of more than 6,000 U.N. employees, 64% admitted that they had “seen and experienced breaches of guidelines on professional conduct.” A mere 8% agreed with the statement that “leaders who violate guidelines on professional conduct are disciplined fairly and consistently.” One staffer decried the “discrimination, nepotism, and sexism” rampant in the organization, while another wrote that “senior leaders caught in serious breaches of ethics should be punished, not promoted as usual.” American taxpayers supply anywhere from a quarter to a third of the U.N.’s annual budget, a figure which does not include U.S. contributions of money and troops to U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. In a time of fiscal crisis, our country is diverting valuable dollars to finance a debauched bureaucracy which fails to effectively accomplish even the simplest of goals. The idea of a global institution in which all countries have an equal say is certainly appealing, but this idea is far from the disturbing reality. In this organization, dictatorships such as Cuba, China and Zimbabwe maneuver their way into positions on the Human Rights Commission in order to halt investigations into their own abuses. Libya, a country which employs a policy of “physical liquidation” towards political opponents, was the head of the commission last year. The U.N. is a organization rife with hypocrisy and corruption. It has continuously worked to thwart the interests of the United States. As long as this international institution remains as such under the inept leadership of Kofi Annan, the dream of a peaceful world will remain just that, only a dream.
