A Modern United Nations

I've taken shots at the United Nations a number of times, but I have never really explained what a modern United Nations would be more fit to do.

Since complaining without giving any alternatives is something for which I have much disdain, I'm going to try to give an outline of what the United Nations is in fact good at doing.

1) A meeting place for nations to speak.

This seems obvious, but it still needs to happen. If one nation has a problem with another but a dialog can not be initiated or maintained then speaking about it in front of other nations might bring them around to being a bit more open. Sometimes not, but it is a good place to start.

2) World-Wide Surveys.

For the most part the UN has a good deal of statistics via UNESCO and these statistics do serve as a good guide in determining who is where on subjects from education, to technology.

These can be valuable, and are indeed good indicators of what is going on in certain nations compared to others.

3) An Arbiter

If nations agree, the UN - with all its research ability and members - could make a wonderful arbiter. This would have to be set up to facilitate an escrow project as well since there would be no way to enforce a decision once it is made. For example:

Nation A feels that Nation B has been slant drilling. This process has cost Nation A close to a billion dollars over the last five years. Nation B says that it has not, and insists that Nation A has engaged in negative attacks upon Nation B across the region for what could be decades. In order to make sure 'frivolous lawsuits' do not come into play, what ever compensation one nation asks for must be risked in order to get it.

So, both Nation A and Nation B put up the billion dollars and the arbitration begins. Once a decision is made -- though they could come back with no decision, return the assets, and call it even -- then the escrow account is tapped and one party is compensated. This simple system could replace the international court as well.

4) Many of the aid programs the United Nations oversee are very much worth doing and should be continued. Obvious the Oil for Food program was a sham and corrupt, but for less political places having an international body to help is never a bad thing.

5) The World Health Organization deserves much credit when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and increasing public awareness of diseases and other health issues around the world.

These are the major reasons to have a body like the United Nations because, in reality, no single nation can do this as impartially. I scoff at using the term impartial in relation to the UN as much as the next critic, but I also know that most of the impartiality has been lost because of the UN's role as a political body.

Some side notes to consider as well: Membership is only a membership to the group of nations for the sake of meeting. NOTHING is binding unless agreed to on a nation by nation basis. In other words there are no vast international treaties. If the US wants a treaty with 10 nation the US will go to each nation individually and get a treaty. The UN is not a power broker nor is it a blanket treaty maker. This is a large problem today with silly things like Kyoto. If the US doesn't sign for some reason other nations decided Kyoto was not important and no it has fallen apart. This is daft and shows that UN treaties are more political than practical and this needs to end.

Membership dues are voluntary, and failure to pay is failure to use the facilities. An exception is when a nation faces destruction, etc. I think most Americans would be very willing to pay the dues (they'd be much smaller) and go on.

Since there would be no 'international military force', nations who wanted aid would need to ask nations for help.

Nations which do not have a system of arbitration in place for their own people shall not be granted the use of it in disputes. There is no reason to extend the very rights that a dictator or supreme ruler will not give to his or her own people. These nations may sit in and observe, but nothing more.

These are some of the main considerations we all need to think about when determining the role of the United Nations in this new century and millennium.