I am a critic of the UN solely because it has failed on numerous occasions to do what it was designed to do- ie negotiate, arbitrate and intervene where necessary. It cannot be argued that the UN has been successful-it hasn't. Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, North Korea, Iraq, Iran....

However there is no great alternative to it at the moment. Unilateral or even bilateral action is more inflammatory than helpful even if at times it gets the job done to an extent. Therefore commentators should be looking at proposals to make the UN more effective not dilute its potency. The most obvious fix would be to ensure security council resolutions could be passed by majority rather than constantly vetoed by the usual suspects. The second change would be to increase membership to the council- USA, France, Russia, UK, China, Japan, Germany, Brazil for instance.

Perhaps the UNO isn't useless James,since the "end of the cold war" it appears that American hegemony is the rule of the day, and every International Organisation that stands in it's way is subject to "flat earth bullying" as the Washington Post called it. The American government provides a lot of the funding for the United Nations Organisation and threatens to spit its dummy out every time that it can't get it's own way. There are signs that other nations are growing stronger and that the Americans are getting to some kind of end to the capitalist economic cycle. Their interest in education is dieing, social and wage mobility are flagging, and I notice today in "Le monde" that their trade deficit is 6% of GDP.
Possibly we are only going through a temporary phase of American Hegemony, let's hope so. In any case, is it a question of a useless UNO, or an irresponsible USA? The USA has often not been very thoughtful about its international relations.

John Hagee pastor for 50 years and prophetic written this book "Jerusalem Countdown"



He says,
"Those nations who align with God's purposes will receive His blessing," he says. "Those who follow a policy of opposition to God's purposes will receive the swift and severe judgment of God without limitation."




"Countdown to Crisis"

Is World War III going to start in 2006? Find out in Jerusalem Countdown, an explosive new book by Texas pastor John Hagee. In this book he reveals shocking details on the gathering war against Israel, which he says will have worldwide ramifications.

This book draws from today's headlines and numerous political and military experts. Hagee shares detailed information that he has received from top Israeli government officials concerning a nuclear showdown between Iran and Israel. Recently, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

"A casual glance at the geopolitical crisis of the Middle East with rogue terrorist states in possession of nuclear weapons [reveals that] we are standing on the brink of a nuclear Armageddon," writes Hagee, senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, an 18,000-strong nondenominational congregation in San Antonio.

"We are on a countdown to crisis," he adds. "The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty. The battle for Jerusalem has already begun. That war will affect every nation on Earth, including America, and will affect every person on Planet Earth."

You will be riveted by Jerusalem Countdown as Hagee explains whether this crisis is going to be an American Hiroshima; why Islam not only condones violence but also commands it; why the Roadmap to Peace is doomed to fail; and how an attack on Jerusalem will affect America.

An ardent supporter of Israel who has visited the country regularly since 1978, Hagee believes the book will be a wake-up call for all Christians to "stand in absolute solidarity" with Israel.

Hagee doesn't pull any punches in discussing the rise of anti-Semitism against the backdrop of historical attacks on Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jews from ancient times to the present. Jerusalem Countdown as the last plea for peace Middle East.