Fresh Tasty Ideas

Mohamed ElBaradei, he head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, referred to as “the UN’s nuclear watchdog” has once again stated that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons.

Hardly anyone doubts that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, despite the fact that President Ahmadinejad denies it. Back in 2005, the same Mohamed ElBaradei announced that his inspectors discovered nuclear blueprints in Tehran:

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told diplomats that his inspectors had recently obtained documents from Tehran showing that the Iranians had been given various instructions on processing uranium hexafluoride gas and casting and enriching uranium. These had been obtained via the black market in nuclear technology headed by the disgraced Pakistani scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Iran also recently announced it hit the 3000-centrifuge mark earlier this month.

The rest of the world can only hope the Iranian people themselves fix their government. Clearly the UN isn’t going to do sh*t. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it agian — the UN is functionally useless.

Everyone knows that Iran isn’t going to fire a nuke on Israel. The whole country would be vaporized within hours of launching their nuke. The real danger is that Iran would be able to move weapons-grade uranium to terrorists and other rogue entities. So much for non-proliferation.

Iran, United Nations, nuclear, weapons

This might never happen again, but for once I agree with George Clooney. Mr. Clooney was in New York recently, imploring the United Nations to take action towards the genocide in Darfur. More than 200,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million have become refugees, as the Islamic Janjaweed militia carries out jihad against the existing government.

Clooney tried to remind the UN that they allowed a horrific genocide to occur under their watch ten years ago when the Hutus and Tutsis fought in Rwanda:

“The United States has called it genocide,” Clooney told council members. “For you it’s called ethnic cleansing. But make no mistake _ it is the first genocide of the 21st century. And if it continues unchecked it will not be the last.”

In stark words he told the U.N. diplomats: “In many ways it is unfair, but it is nonetheless true that this genocide will be on your watch. How you deal with it will be your legacy, your Rwanda, your Cambodia, your Auschwitz.”

I’m no fan of George Clooney, or other Hollywood elitists who decide every now and then to leave their multi-million dolllar homes in the Hollywood hills to preach to the rest of America. But in this case, he’s absolutely right. The UN was formed with the motto “never again,” yet it has happened again and again while the UN sat idly by. Will they take action this time?

Clooney, United Nations, genocide, Darfur, Islam

Israelis don’t intentionally target civilians (in fact, they make every effort not to hit civilians if possible), and Hezbollah does:

The militant Shiite group Hezbollah committed war crimes in its deliberate targeting of civilians in the recent conflict with Israel, according to Amnesty International.

Isn’t it interesting that neither the United Nations nor Human Rights Watch have condemned Hezbollah for intentionally targeting civilians? Yet, they have both condemned Israel.

terrorism, Hezbollah, Amnesty International, civilians, Israel, United Nations

I don’t think it’s meant to be a joke:

Thirteen French tanks, the most powerful armor ever deployed by a U.N. peacekeeping force, rolled ashore Tuesday, beefing up a mission aimed at helping cement an uneasy cease-fire in Lebanon.

It gets better:

But some European officials are concerned international peacekeepers will be at best ineffective and at worst humiliated if hostilities flare between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops.

Really? Considering Israel had a tough time fighting Hezbollah, I would expect thirteen French tanks to be cutting it close. God, what a bunch of morons. France brokered this deal, and now the UN is powerless to enforce its own resolution, or to punish France for chickening out.

United Nations, France, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon

Iran is purchasing weapons systems from North Korea, then shipping them to Syria, where they can be brought across the border into southern Lebanon to rearm Hezbollah:

The ship was carrying 18 truck-mounted mobile radar systems and three command vehicles. “The radars on the 18 trucks appear to be part of an air defense system,” a police spokeswoman said. Pipes also found on board were irrigation pipes, she added.

I predicted this would happen when the UN appointed Syria to enforce the arms embargo on Hezbollah. Apparently, Koffi didn’t understand (I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, I could easily assume he wanted this to happen) that Syria has a vested interest in seeing Hezbollah succeed.

This is a classic UN bungling. Israel was forced to stop its military campaign before it could destroy Hezbollah, and now that terrorist group is rearming and preparing to fight another day, in large part due to the United Nations. Either the UN should have provided an immediate peacekeeping force of substantial proportions (France, I’m looking in your direction here) or it should not have intervened. Wittingly or unwittingly, the UN effectively acted on behalf of Hezbollah.

United Nations, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, terrorism, Israel, Annan

He may have a dorky mustache and an unfortunate name, but this guy is quickly becoming my own personal hero. John Bolton today warned a shiftless and corrupt United Nations that either it makes serious reforms, or it will face serious cuts in funding. Currently, the United States provides 25% of the UN’s operating budget.

I’m sure that some will decry Bolton’s statements as divisive or disrespectful to the UN, but I don’t care, and neither should any American. Why? Because the UN has lost its way, it routinely fails at its stated purposes, which is to prevent genocide and keep the peace. The list of lost opportunities for the UN to prove its worth is long, as are the incidents of bribery and other corruption.

Why is it not the right of America to reduce or eliminate funding for an organization that at best has failed to meet its stated objectives? If a company doesn’t deliver a promised product, it goes out of business. Usually, a competitor arises to fill the gap (thank you invisible hand) and deliver the product or service in the stead of the failed company. But the UN is not exposed to competing organizations, and as such, has no desire to reform. This is why I applaud Bolton — he’s simply trying to bring some accountability to this bloated beaucracy.

So, how might the UN reform? It could get serious about corruption by coming down hard on all the oil-for-food beneficiaries, and anyone who has recieved questionable sources of income (including Koffi’s own son). The UN could respond to the various crises around the world with peacekeeping forces that protect the innocent and punish the wrongdoers. In Darfur, the UN could stop the advancement of the Janjaweed; in Thailand the UN could stop the Muslim terrorist campaign raging in the south of the nation; in Lebanon the UN could prevent Hezbollah from being rearmed and to help that nation enforce its own sovereignty. In Somalia, the UN could stop the advancement of the Supreme Islamic Courts which is slowly consuming the whole nation, subjecting Somlians to incredibly strict Sharia law. That would be a start. And the UN could give Koffi the boot for all the failures on his watch, a sort of cleansing. That would be great.

Bolton, United Nations, Annan, United States, corruption

Each day that passes provides a reason why the UN is not only functionally useless, but actually a hinderance to world peace. But today’s example makes my blood boil:

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that Syria has pledged to step up border patrols and work with the Lebanese army to stop the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.

That’s right, Koffi Annan is going to rely on the trust-worthy, pro-Israeli Shia government of Syria to stop Hezbollah from being resupplied. Just how stupid does he think the world is? The analogy of a fox guarding the henhouse couldn’t be more applicable.

This is the same Syria that cannot (or refuses to is more likely) patrol its own border with Iraq, and that has resulted in Shia terrorists entering the country and creating chaos. This is the same Syria that is belligerent to the world community, and ideologically aligned with Iran.

I am physically disgusted with the United Nations. Why does the US provide funding for this ridiculous organization which actually helps Islamic terrorism and despots more than anyone else? By the way, August 31 has passed, where are the economic sanctions against Iran for defying the UN? Oh, right…

Annan, UN, Syria, Hezbollah, Israel, disarm, Middle East

Here’s a good rundown of just how Israel lost the lastest conflict in Lebanon:

1. Hezbollah was still alive and kicking when the ceasefire came
2. Hezbollah successfully manipulated the media through fake pictures and fradulent death tolls. See “Green Helmet guy” for more explanation.
3. Hezbollah will win the Lebanese people’s hearts back by rebuilding Beruit and southern Lebanon (much to the chagrin of impoverished Iranians, who will be funding the renovation).

Israel is solidly to blame for item #1, they should have hit Hezbollah hard when they had the chance. Now that the UN ceasefire is in effect, Hezbollah can regroup, rearm, and talk of victory. Item #2 saddens me, because it demonstrates the complicity the American and global media had in Hezbollah’s victory. The media outlets were duped like ignorant pawns, falling all over themselves to run deliberately staged pictures. The falsification was so obvious at one point that basic Photoshop artifacts were visible in AP wire photos; only the collective screaming of the conservative blogosphere caused some retractions. But the damage had been done, Hezbollah had won the war of the media. Item #3 speaks to more international impotency. Iran and Syria fund and therefore control Hezbollah, and now those regimes will win even more hearts and minds by providing the only thing that counts for bombed-out Lebanese civilians: food, water and shelter. Looks like we’ll have a fresh new generation of Lebanese Hezbollah fighters who were galvanized for Allah in 2006, when after a Zionist blitzkrieg, Hezbollah provided for them. Just great.

And this ceasefire? It’s a joke; France will only send troops after Hezbollah disarms, which appears as likely as a diet for Michael Moore. So Hezbollah will again be allowed to go on existing thanks wholly to an unenforcable resolution dreamt up by ivory tower UN plutocrats. It’s not hard to predict that the fighting will resume maybe in a month, maybe in a year.

Ceasefires don’t create peace, wars do. After all, the Middle East has seen more ceasefires and more violence than any region over the last couple decades. And what do we have to show for it? A few of us are wise enough to realize this is just another “peace in our time” Chaimberlain-style appeasement pact which at best delays the inevitable.

Update: France is starting to show her true colors. They’re not going to send the troops they were so quick to volunteer a few weeks ago:

France is considering providing only a symbolic force for the United Nations contingent in Lebanon, and not the thousands of troops UN officials had hoped, Le Monde newspaper said on Thursday.

Pussies.

terrorism, UN, France, ceasefire, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Iran

The UN Human Rights Council has issued a written condemnation of Israel’s human rights violations:

The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday condemned Israel for “massive bombardment of Lebanese civilian populations” and other “systematic” human rights violations, and decided to send a commission to investigate.

There was nothing condemning Hezbollah for its use of civilians as human shields, for fighting from civilian areas and wearing civilian clothing, for using UN outposts as military bases, or for using civilian vehicles to transport weapons and munitions. At least some countries had the common sense not to vote for the condemnation:

European countries, Japan and Canada voted against the resolution, primarily because it lacked balance in failing to name the Hezbollah militia.

United Nations, Hezbollah, terrorism, Israel