Bolton still stirrin' the UN caldron

U.N. Dispute Reignited Over Corruption
By EDITH M. LEDERER, AP

Gotta love it. The UN is incensed that Bolton has called for meetings in the UNSC on more allegations of corruptions. And the UN General Assembly is feeling "encroached"...

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has called for meetings this week in the Security Council on allegations of corruption and sex abuse in U.N. peacekeeping missions, reigniting a dispute between the world body's power players and a group of developing nations.

The Group of 77, which includes 132 mainly developing countries and China, is accusing Ambassador John Bolton of encroaching on the U.N. General Assembly's turf by holding meetings on the allegations in the Security Council, which has five permanent and 10 rotating members.

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At the heart of the struggle is what Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday is the General Assembly's feeling "that its power and its influence is being diminished." The dispute comes at a crucial moment when the 60-year-old United Nations is debating major reforms and investigating new allegations of corruption.

Well don't that take all... I suggest that Kofi's fears of "dimished" UN power are right on. But it's not from meetings in the wrong UN body, but from historic bad performance in so many arenas.