Kofi's Mea Culpa

U.N. Sec-Gen Kofi Annan's screed in today's Wall Street Journal isn't very persuasive except perhaps to those who still believe that the U.N. Mission Remains Vital . But consider the situation: Billions of dollars siphoned through mismanagement, theft and corruption. "Peace missions" that never end because the U.N. has more vested interest in justifying its existence than in actually settling disputes among nations (or peoples). Burgeoning bureaucracies that envision U.N. taxes, U.N. troops (owing allegiance solely to the U.N.) and total U.N. control. The U.N. serves as a sounding board and enabler for those who seek to create a new worldwide religion to replace at least one troublesome old-time faith (Christianity).

Kofi treats the various scandal reports as if they were merely demerits handed out by a school principal, while he laments that the negative press the U.N. receives in the WSJ and elsewhere is deeply damaging the aid effort to homeless children and such. Sure, Kofi, that's taking responsibility ... Not!

It gets worse. He tries to turn chicken manure into chicken salad by venturing that

Even the scars left by past differences can be turned into today's opportunities. Precisely because the United Nations did not agree on some earlier actions in Iraq, today it has much needed credibility with, and access to, Iraqi groups who must agree to join in the new political process if peace is to prevail. The U.N. can be useful because it is seen as independent and impartial.

How about craven and cowardly? How about compromised and contemptuous, as in we did not want to endanger the billions of petro-bucks that we were massaging in the Oil-for-Food program?

Even more shocking are widespread cases of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors by peacekeepers and U.N. officials in the Congo and other African countries. Both the U.N. Secretariat and the member states have been too slow to realize the extent of this problem, take effective measures to end it, and punish the culprits. But we are now doing so, and I am determined to see it through.

Give the devil his due: Kofi mentions the sex scandals coming to light that implicate dozens, if not more, U.N. "peacekeepers" in Africa. But his record suggests that with the exception of the dismissals of a few department heads and perhaps hanging one or two representative scapegoats out to dry (metaphorically speaking, since the U.N. itself has no punitive structure in place), nothing much will be done.

(Permit me a brief MSM rant: until the press handles the U.N.'s sex scandals as it has treated the priest abuse cases in the Church, there is no justice. The U.N. should not get a pass.)

You get the feeling, reading this op-ed piece, that Kofi might actually be worried that the U.S. will take its considerable contributions and clout and walk away. We certainly hope so.