Annan said the UN’s security system worked well for the past 50 years.

Yahoo! News

This is true, to a large degree. That’s because the United Nations’ security system is basically, “Please don’t shoot.” That may work in countries that need credibility with the UN, but it’s not working in Iraq.

I want go on record that despite what Pat says, I’m not a neoconservative. I’m not Dick Cheney, blubbering on about how irrelevant the UN is to American policy — that’s crap. But at the same time, I’m bewildered why so many think the occupation of Iraq would be better with UN involvement.

For starters, a lot of Iraqis don’t like the United Nations. Particularly among those pesky Baathists, the UN and the US are both associated with eleven years of crippling economic sanctions. Iraqis know that they suffered, not Saddam, from being cut off from the world economy. The people who killed Sergio Vieira de Mello are not looking for more international control over reconstruction efforts — they want every last foreigner driven from Iraqi soil.

Second, no matter how unstable the situation looks under US command, the UN isn’t proving itself a dependable alternative. They ignored accepted security procedures, and flat-out refused protection from American forces — likely because they were reluctant to associate themselves with us. These are not people who are suited to run a country.

(I should note that one discussed solution to the UN’s security problem is to increase the number of Iraqi workers, so that only a few top foreigners are present. If they think Saddam’s supporters are reluctant to kill their own people, maybe they should see how successful we’ve been in setting up the Iraqi police force.)

Finally, when you look at the tepid contributions to the reconstruction project, you keep hearing Frenchies talk about a “greater role for the international community.” This is best translated as, “We’re not contributing squat unless we get a piece of the action.” Which is fine; it doesn’t mean we need to appease them. Iraq is improving, slowly, and the amount of international aid is enough that an economic recovery is still possible. Let France and Germany sit on the sidelines and make faces; even Russia is considering helping out.

The UN — and its myriad of apologists and steadfast supporters — needs to accept reality. Baghdad is not Belgrade; a blue helmet gets you as much respect as a feather boa. Unless the UN starts coordinating its mission with the Coalition, it will never play a meaningful role in building a new Iraq.