Letters to the Editor
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‘Losing the United Nations’
Mark Malloch Brown’s attack on the American government and people follows and seeks to obscure the failure of the United Nations, despite United States support, to deal effectively with global problems and institute pressing reforms [“Losing the United Nations,” Editorial, June 8, 2006].
The job of Secretary-General Kofi Annan is not an easy one, especially at this time when the divisions between the North and the South (U.N. shorthand for the developed and the developing or nonaligned worlds) are once again hardening.
Mr. Annan’s proposals for a U.N. Human Rights Council with firm criteria for membership, supported by the U.S., were rejected. His proposals for management reform, supported by the U.S., were rejected. His proposal for the review of old mandates, supported by the U.S., has stalled. His proposals on combating terrorism, supported by the U.S., have been ambushed.
His appeals for cooperation from the government of Sudan to end genocide in Darfur, supported by the U.S., have been rejected. And his recent request to the military junta in Myanmar (Burma) to free Aung San Suu Kyi was rejected, and her imprisonment was extended for another year. (Her National League for Democracy Party won election by a landslide more than a decade ago, only to be denied power by a military coup.)
Beyond the oil-for-food scandal, have been sex and procurement scandals involving U.N. peacekeeping missions, and other scandals involving leading U.N. officials.
Based upon recent votes, including the two to one rejection of management reform by the General Assembly, a majority of member states are satisfied with the way things are going at the United Nations. The government and people of the U.S. are not and should not be, despite the misguided criticism of Mark Malloch Brown.
HARRIS O. SCHOENBERG
President, U.N. Reform Advocates
Manhattan
‘Clean Break’
In reference to your analysis of the John Faso nomination: The main issue in this campaign will be taxes. Beyond that is the waste of public monies, in this case the massive Medicaid fraud that occurred on Attorney General Spitzer’s watch [“Clean Break,” Editorial, June 7, 2006].
He is responsible for this, and if he cannot take responsibility on this, how will he be able to govern a state and its budget that by far exceeds the Medicaid budget?
From a historical point of view, Mr. Faso can take heart in the fact that the last time a former New York State Assembly Republican minority leader won the governorship of our state was right after the Spanish-American war, when Theodore Roosevelt defeated a distinguished judge and brother of a New York City mayor.
ALAN JAY GERBER
Cedarhurst N.Y.
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