Calls to reform UN Security Council after US vetoes Gaza ceasefire

GutsBerserk@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 774 points –
Calls to reform UN Security Council after US vetoes Gaza ceasefire
aljazeera.com

Calls are growing for the UN Security Council to be reformed after the US became the only member to use its veto power to block a Gaza ceasefire resolution, a move welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The UN chief says he will keep pushing for peace.

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Th UN gives all countries the ability to have a voice on the world stage, yeah the security council can suck sometimes but not having the UN would be so much worse than having it

I understand this logic and I’ve made this argument in the past. As time goes on, however, I’m coming to the understanding that the major thing the UN actually provides is deniability. It creates an aura of accountability without actually accomplishing it. The pageantry of rhetoric around the UN’s mission would have us believe that merely shining light on the wrongdoing of powerful nations will lead to some kind of justice. It never does. It actually breeds complacency in the same way that ranting about politics online does. You feel like you are changing something, but you aren’t. I think we need something like the UN, but the UN as currently constructed is fatally flawed and may be making things actively worse in some important ways.

A government without an army can’t govern.

Not that I’m in favor of a single government over all humanity. But the UN can’t govern anything because it’s got no teeth.

If only we had some global communication system that allowed people to post their opinions. Maybe a packet based one.

Are... Are you actually suggesting that "the internet" is a viable substitute for the UN?

Sure. At least I don't see the internet driving around Mercedes in NYC and parking wherever they want

Yeah, lets replace the UN with a fuckin' facebook group.

Moms Against Thermonuclear War has been marked as a private community.

We already had world leaders tweeting their opinions at other, but they still meet in person to discuss issues and form agreements.

A structured system is necessary when you have meetings with representatives for nearly every person on the planet

And again how is that working?

Instead of replying with that same comment again, why don't you explain what alternative you have in mind. Don't just vaguely mention 'packets'

Oh I am sorry I wasn't aware that I had to come up with a solution if I point out the current solution isn't working. Shit. Better say nothing ever again and just keep giving my money to a corrupt institution that fucks up everything it touches. Sorry for pointing out the emperor has no clothing here is free fucking money

That's kind of the point here

We all agree that the current system has issues.

You're saying the next move should be to disband it, and others are saying that we need an alternative first. I don't think anyone here is saying the UN is perfect the way it is

An imperfect system doesn't mean we need to throw out the whole system. And if we did throw it out, you can't just not have a replacement for it.

People making posts on the Internet is not equivalent to real people meeting and being forced to at least give an answer.

Forced to give an answer like when they abstain?

That's still an answer. We actively know they chose to abstain rather than passively. Still better than radio silence from "the Internet"

We can all agree homelessness is a problem, what matters is the solutions to the problem

Some want to house these people, some want to build more homeless shelters, some want dedicated camping sites in the city, some want dedicated camping sites outside the city, some want to simply ban them from existing in a city, etc, etc

If all you do is focus on the problem and not coming up with solutions then the problem will never be solved

This is an example of why coming up with solutions is important when discussing issues

What you need to do is define “working” in order to point out that the current solution isn’t working.

To define “working” you either need to come up with a standard for how such organizations should operate, or barring that name some alternative solution that it can be compared to.

I see. So if I see an airplane burn on the ground after falling from the sky unless I am a professional pilot, have done an indepth analysis of what happened, have a solution to prevent future problems, and have a master's degree in aerospace engineering I am not allowed to say that there is any issue and should assume the airplane is fine.

Sorry YOUR UN sucks

Last I heard we haven't descended into nuclear war in the last 75 years.

Or having gone into another World War.

Are you familiar with the failure of the League of Nations? I'd look into it if you're not.

Nuclear war is prevented by nuclear deterrence. Nothing published by the UN has the ability to stop a nation from firing its nuclear weapons at another nation’s cities.

As for world wars, let’s wait a year and see if we’re willing to define this interconnected set of conflicts as a world war.

Could you not say thats because of MAD from nuclear weapons?

No, MAD seems to be a failed philosophy as it assumes that aggressive actions are attributable to clearly defined parties. MAD got shook the fuck up as soon as we realized dirty bombs could exist.

I hope that our long standing mostly peace is due to the UN and media innovations... I cynically suspect that it's due to neoliberalism and globalization making a grand war too economically costly.

I wouldn't be surprised at money being the reason. It's too bad some conflict can still be seen as profitable unfortunately.