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January 3, 2005
Protecting Their Turf
The aid debacle arising from the tsunami that devastated much of south-west Asia illustrates the problem with existing international institutions such as the United Nations. It has been said by many on the right that while the United Nations is worthless if not harmful from a security perspective, elements of it should be kept around so as to help in humanitarian projects. But what we are now learning calls even this into question.
It is now apparent that the main objective of the UN during diasaster relief efforts is to protect their own turf. The main objective is for the UN to get all of the credit for whatever arrives on the scene. The ad hoc coalition led by the United States, and also consisting of Japan, Australia, and India, is said to undermine the UN because "it is the only body that has the moral authority."
Wretchard documents the UN's desparate efforts. But you already know by now that his is a "must read" blog. From Wretchard's Belmont Club I've discovered a new blog, Diplomad, that is written anonymously by career foreign service professionals at the State Department (at least, that's what they claim. I'll let readers judge for themselves, but I'll take Wretchard's cue on trusting them)
Diplomad has documented the pitiful attempts by the UN to provide relief. It is already day 9 of the crisis, and the writer of today's post, who is on the scene (though I'm not sure exactly where), reports that
...in this part of the tsunami-wrecked Far Abroad, the UN is still nowhere to be seen where it counts, i.e., feeding and helping victims. The relief effort continues to be a US-Australia effort, with Singapore now in and coordinating closely with the US and Australia. Other countries are also signing up to be part of the US-Australia effort. Nobody wants to be "coordinated" by the UN. The local UN reps are getting desperate. They're calling for yet another meeting this afternoon; they've flown in more UN big shots to lecture us all on "coordination" and the need to work together, i.e., let the UN take credit. With Kofi about to arrive for a big conference, the UNocrats are scrambling to show something, anything as a UN accomplishment. Don't be surprised if they claim that the USS Abraham Lincoln is under UN control and that President Lincoln was a strong supporter of the UN.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic.
Posted by Tom at January 3, 2005 10:00 AM
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