WHAT do you get when you put Michael Jackson, WorldCom, Enron and Bill Clinton under one roof? Why, the illustrious United Nations. Pretty much any major scandal that has plagued high-profile politicians and businessmen in recent memory has also emanated from various facets of the United Nations. The United Nations has been riddled with scandals ranging from allegations of bribery, sexual harassment, nepotism and corrupt financial practices since some media outlets and Congress scrutinized the U.N. Oil-for-Food program last year.
Additionally, just a few weeks ago, charges of child rape and molestation by U.N. peacekeepers in the Congo surfaced. This behavior is atrocious, and completely undermines the legitimacy of the supposedly preeminent international peacekeeping organization. In order to maintain some semblance of authority and integrity, the United Nations' practices must be seriously examined and even overhauled in some cases.
To suggest that the United Nations did a poor oversight job of the Oil-for-Food program is a severe understatement. The U.S. Senate conducted its own investigation, and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., wrote in the Wall Street Journal back in December 2004, "We continue to amass evidence that he [Saddam Hussein] used the overt support of prominent members of the United Nations, such as France and Russia, along with numerous foreign officials, companies and possibly even senior U.N. officials, to exploit the program to his advantage." Coleman indicated that Saddam acquired more than $21 billion by bilking the Oil-for-Food program. Amazingly enough, the United Nations spent $30 million an internal investigation of the program -- money that was supposed to go towards helping the Iraqi people who were living under a brutal dictator at the time.
Annan's son, Kojo, also benefited immensely from the Oil-for-Food program, as he assisted in obtaining a lucrative contract for Cotecna Inspection SA, a company based in Switzerland, that he was employed at.
Aside from the financial scandals, numerous sexual harassment and child molestation incidents have been reported. Annan tried to cover up a sexual harassment accusation leveled in April 2004 against Ruud Lubber, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. An investigation in May sided with the woman's case, but in July Annan decided to do nothing because he believed Lubber, and kept the investigation report secret, repeatedly refusing to show the report to the woman. Lubber finally resigned in February 2005, two days after the report was leaked to Fox News and picked up by other news outlets.
In the Congo, fifty U.N. peacekeepers and U.N. civilian officers are accused of approximately 150 acts of rape, prostitution, pedophilia and sexual exploitation of young children and women. Other areas of the world where U.N. peacekeepers are assigned, such as Bosnia, are also host to similar allegations. This past weekend, The Washington Post reported that U.N. peacekeepers were accused of sexual misconduct in Burundi, Haiti, Liberia,Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. U.N. peacekeepers are supposed to provide assistance and protection to refugees in war-torn nations rife with turmoil, not act as savage pillagers and rapists.
If we cannot trust the United Nations to fairly and honestly manage major foreign policy initiatives such as the Oil-for-Food program and contribute to the relief effort for refuges in a responsible and noble manner, what can we count on the United Nations for?
When headlines read "UN unveils sweeping blueprint for reform" back in December 2004, Annan's proposed reform wasn't targeted at stopping sexual harassment or getting to the bottom of the Oil-for-Food scandal, but recommending measures like defining the word "terrorism" and expanding the Security Council. The panel which formulated the reforms took a stab at the United States for being a powerful nation. The panel stated, "There is little evident international acceptance of the idea of security being best preserved by a balance of power or by any single -- even benignly motivated -- superpower."
Former Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, head of the Independent Inquiry Committee for the Oil-for-Food program, has done an adequate job uncovering some of the details of the scandals and the individuals involved, but much more is needed. Hopefully when his final report comes out, a push for true reform will be initiated. It's high time Annan does some major housecleaning before he can even think about projecting U.N. influence over any matter.
Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.
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