MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
The singular point of the UN isn’t to prevent conflict, there’s been plenty of armed conflicts since its inception, but one important part of it is hosting a forum between countries and especially giving the countries who are otherwise typically underrepresented (e.g. South American and African countries) in international discussions a means of making their voices heard.
It also hosts a number of organizations that allow international cooperation for common goals, with or without the US, that is usually more effective than any country doing it on its own.
There are issues and this recent visible regression to “might makes right” rhetoric is absolutely dangerous, but the UN shouldn’t die because the three biggest nuclear powers are assholes.
The most powerful table in the UN is ruled by 5 nuclear superpowers, 3 of them are out: Russia, China, USA. A fourth (UK) has nukes which are not fully independent from the USA and basically lost their empire they had when they were given this prime seat, they are less powerful than they seem. That leaves France as sole UN defender. Weirdly you could even see China still being a somewhat stabilising factor. UN goal is indeed not to prevent all conflict, but it definitely was to contain conflict. 2/5 and maybe 3/5 want more conflict in the world, it is very clear, they want to prey on smaller, non nuclear armed countries.
Then you could also look at it in raw power: amount of nukes, ships, soldiers, missiles et cetera. In that case it’s waaaay more than 3/5th that are out, because USA military is so fucking massive and the guy at the top of that who should be in jail or dead just announced he wants to increase the size of that massive, non UN-compliant military machine by another 50%… Unless USA get their shit together ASAP, UN is useless for protecting all the smaller member states. The goal of mediating any conflict in UN is simply unachievable without USA, because they hold the (raw, military) power. It has become quite likely the UN will indeed die because the major security council members are ruled assholes. Who’s making deals about environment or climate when their neighbours/“allies” are threatening annexation and no big power reacts (worse, they’re the one anbexing)? Right: no one.
The singular point of the UN isn’t to prevent conflict, there’s been plenty of armed conflicts since its inception, but one important part of it is hosting a forum between countries and especially giving the countries who are otherwise typically underrepresented (e.g. South American and African countries) in international discussions a means of making their voices heard.
It also hosts a number of organizations that allow international cooperation for common goals, with or without the US, that is usually more effective than any country doing it on its own.
There are issues and this recent visible regression to “might makes right” rhetoric is absolutely dangerous, but the UN shouldn’t die because the three biggest nuclear powers are assholes.
The most powerful table in the UN is ruled by 5 nuclear superpowers, 3 of them are out: Russia, China, USA. A fourth (UK) has nukes which are not fully independent from the USA and basically lost their empire they had when they were given this prime seat, they are less powerful than they seem. That leaves France as sole UN defender. Weirdly you could even see China still being a somewhat stabilising factor. UN goal is indeed not to prevent all conflict, but it definitely was to contain conflict. 2/5 and maybe 3/5 want more conflict in the world, it is very clear, they want to prey on smaller, non nuclear armed countries.
Then you could also look at it in raw power: amount of nukes, ships, soldiers, missiles et cetera. In that case it’s waaaay more than 3/5th that are out, because USA military is so fucking massive and the guy at the top of that who should be in jail or dead just announced he wants to increase the size of that massive, non UN-compliant military machine by another 50%… Unless USA get their shit together ASAP, UN is useless for protecting all the smaller member states. The goal of mediating any conflict in UN is simply unachievable without USA, because they hold the (raw, military) power. It has become quite likely the UN will indeed die because the major security council members are ruled assholes. Who’s making deals about environment or climate when their neighbours/“allies” are threatening annexation and no big power reacts (worse, they’re the one anbexing)? Right: no one.