Quote:
Originally posted by sycamore
I don't really see much of a point to NATO anymore. Old-school warring--at least in this part of North America, and in most of Europe--is dead, IMO. ... I don't see why much of what is being discussed cannot be handled either through the UN or through general discussion and cooperation among nations.
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The Sept 1995 lessons from a Srebrenica massacre did not teach us anything? A UN that can only respond during business hours 9 - 5 EST. A battalion of Dutch soldiers blamed for what was directly traceable to top UN management?
It was because of these lessons that the UN was removed from Bosnian peace keeping duties and an organization that plans, exercises, equipts and trains to coordination, cooperation and effectiveness instead took over. Clearly the antonym of those adjacetives are the UN, nations cooperating, and solutions through general discussion. Only when something effective like Nato took over was the Bosnian situation finally solved.
Many organizations have attempted to replace or supplement Nato. Early on was the WU. Later was a European security force for which Britian promised a lion share of military attachment. And yet only Nato survives as the organization that binds, standardizes, coordinates, and forces general discussion of cooperation. The UN even refused to take on the problems in Bosnia and Ruwanda. What about Liberia. Ivory Coast. Nigeria. Zimbabwa, East Timor, Aesch, islands in the Pacific (name forgotten) where those of Indian ancestary were denied polical office after winning elections. Where was the UN in any of this? Where did general discussion or international cooperation solve this problem? Only when nations that were staunch military allies also to cooperate and solve the problem.
Had the British not sent a battalion of tough Marines into Monrovia - independent of the UN force - then that UN force was expected to be overrun - with no backup from the UN expected. This being a year or so ago? Where is this effective or powerful UN?
The UN could not even address problems in Haiti. The OAS had to perform authorization for that problem. The UN does have certain necessary functions. But it is a long way from replacing or even supplementing what Nato still does.