The U.N. Wanders Past a Mirror

. . . and for once, doesn’t avert its eyes. Could big changes be on the way? Only if you can get all of the quibbling bureaucrats to agree on what those changes should be, but self-examination is the first step. An internal commission has noticed that the world body lacks clear standards on many of its essential competencies, such as the use of force, self-defense, accountability, and human rights:

The panel was very critical of the Human Rights Commission, a body that has often brought the United Nations into disrepute by incorporating some of the worst rights violators like Cuba, Libya and Sudan into its membership. The commission, which is based in Geneva, “suffers from a credibility deficit that casts doubt on the overall reputation of the United Nations,” the report said. The official who briefed reporters added that too often the chief motivation for countries to join was to deflect attention from deplorable rights conditions at home.

I’ve said before that the U.N.’s poison pill is its lack of neutral standards. Without those, what unites the nations?

I wonder if this and this might give the reform process some momentum.