Ms Rosett,It has been an interesting read.However,If the newly appointed Secretary-General Ban Kim-moon insists on pursuing the extradition and sentencing of Savan at the U.N.,he himself might encounter oppositions from all sides...after all,The U.N.is steeped in conspiracy and INTRIGUES!I still remember one past U.N.Secretary General Hammersjold(this could be mis-spelled),who died in a plane crash.
Let Savan stay in Elba(Cyprus)under the distant eyes of the proper authorities.How does that sound?

Jan 18, 2007 03:07 AM

Hmmm... Two days out on the Sevan indictment, and still no sign of Mark Leon Goldberg popping up to say that it's all just a fiction ginned up by the Rosett Subsidiary of the VRWC.

Curious.

Jan 18, 2007 09:44 AM

From the NRO piece:

In what surely qualifies as the single-most-promising United Nations reform effort to date, federal prosecutors in New York, jointly with the New York District Attorney, have just announced the indictment of the man who ran the U.N.’s former Oil-for-Food program: Benon Sevan.

I think it's worth noting that said "reform effort" was imposed on the UN from without. The UN was dragged kicking and screaming to this point, and even that could only be done because of the aggressive and relentless reporting of one Claudia Rosett -- reporting for which she was rewarded by being snubbed for a Pulitzer Prize.

My outrage over the snub is rekindled, as is my disgust with the vast majority of the MSM who have failed to follow her work up.

Brian

Jan 18, 2007 11:16 AM

The key probalem with UN reform is that the poor contries i.e. G 77 dont want to reform the UN. They benefit from a bloated system with lots of jobs for their nationals. The western block countries can not get their reforms through.

Of course, Jon Bolton's agressive posture made the G767 even more obstinatly against reform (note to Mr Bolton, there is a reason why diplomacy is called diplomacy. you can win one or two battles with brute anger but you lose the war (as Bolton found out).

My suggestion for UN reform- merge the 28 plus UN development agencies (who, unicef, undp, ilo etc etc etc) into one "UN Development Agency"- you could cut 1000's of staff and get rid of the dozens of HQs around the world and save a bunch of money for use in real programmes that benefit people (health, education etc).

Jan 18, 2007 10:43 PM

joan said:

My suggestion for UN reform- merge the 28 plus UN development agencies (who, unicef, undp, ilo etc etc etc) into one "UN Development Agency"-...

Or, you could actually face the relentlessly overwhelming evidence that the whole thing is rotten to the core, realize that "reform" is a naive fantasy that will only give further cover for the empowerment of dictatorial thugs, and get started on the necessary business of dismantling the misbegotten monstrosity that is today's U.N.

Jan 19, 2007 01:20 PM

"My suggestion for UN reform- merge the 28 plus UN development agencies"

Brilliant.

But wait.

What if the agencies don't want to be merged?

What is your plan if these agencies decline the offer to get rid of 1,000's of staff?

Diplomacy? Or an aggressive posture?

Jan 19, 2007 05:38 PM