Giving Up on the U.N.
Fred Fry has concluded that the U.N. will never do anything to save the North Korean people, and he thinks it’s time for us to quit expecting otherwise. He makes a compelling case, and I’ve cited and quoted plenty of the sources he quotes. It’s not a case I can really refute.
And still, I hold out hope. First, some credit is due; the U.N. World Food Program probably did save many lives with its feeding operations between 1998 and 2005. We will soon see just how bad things will get without the aid that may have sustained a third of North Korea’s people. I also believe that far more North Koreans would have been saved if the U.N. had been more assertive, and if China and South Korea had not undercut WFP demands for greater transparency through their unilateral, unmonitored aid.
Another reason for hope is Ban Ki Moon. It’s not that he’s morally superior to Kofi Annan. But unlike Annan, who was a corrupt and malicious man, Ban is so spinless and pliable that if our own government would make a public priority of this issue, the WFP would stand up to the North Koreans and insist on making sure that the food went to those who really need it.
What I hope Fred and his readers will consider is that the North Korean people are not Kim Jong Il’s wasting assets. They are the victims of his greatest crime against humanity.
Thanks for linking to my post and providing the thoughtful insight.
Yes, I do understand that the people in North Korea are truly victims of the Government that holds them hostage. My belief is that the only way to aid these people is to hasten the collapse of the regime.
UN Aid, while (I hope is) good-intentioned, is life-support for Kim Jong Il. As you know, the UN is not the only ones to blame. There is South Korea, Japan, China, and the US which alone sent over $1 billion in aid from ’96-2002.
The people are certainly in need of aid and surely the rest of the world will be hard-pressed to provide it if the North does collapse. But it is aid that must be provided and as soon as possible. The big question is, how to even get to that position?
Perhaps it is time that N. Korea stop being treated like an equal member at the UN. Member States should expel NK diplomats and the International Criminal Court should bring charges. Feed the whole country if possible, but make sure there are measures to deal with the leadership that is willing to let these people die.
Fred, I agree with you on this: not one spoonful unless we can be sure it goes to those who truly need it. Barring that, I would oppose giving aid for the very reason you state: prolonging this regime prolongs the misery of the people. It kills.
I would hope that a comprehensive denial of support for this regime would force it to allow some real transparency. That may not be likely, but if it can be agreed, it’s a moral prerequisite to an unconditional cutoff of aid.
Doing anything that punishes the victims is a pretty agonizing choice. I couldn’t make it if I thought the aid was reaching the intended beneficiaries.