Gentlemen.
The UN is the whole organisation, from the foot soldier to Koffi Annan.
The job as a UN soldier is tough - stationed away from your loved ones, in hostile territory, with very ambigious orders. They're peace *keepers*, not peace *makers*. This is an important differentiation to make.
Aye, the organisation has had major failures - as has the US military. But it has also had many successes - UN troops have been deplyed in many countries and helped preserve a fragile peace.
When you're saying that the UN is worthless, you're also saying that the job done by the soldier on the ground is worthless. It isn't. You're quite right - it's an inefficient machine with too many cooks - but there can be no other way. Pissed because you got voted off? Welcome to a democratic organisation. My personal belief is this happened because of the US refusal to pay what it owns the UN in financial terms, but that's just my take on the back stabbing politics that go on behind the scene.
Just like you elevate yourselves and your armed forces from that sorta Washington thing, I do. These are my pals who've come home with things they'll have to live with forever - in some cases they haven't come home at all. Fighting for a people they do not know, for a people they have no alliance with. For people with such different cultural values that they're almost incompatible.
The UN piss me off immensely too - the Srebenica disaster is a good example. The Balkans in general - I've heard a good deal of stories of how Danish peace keepers have been ordered to hold fire, despite seeing atrocities and having the firepower to stop it.
Still, my heart goes out to the men and women who have the courage to don a blue hat. When I see a UN soldier, I see s atriving for peace, I see hope for human kind - and, as an atheist, I can assure you that that isn't plentiful.
Don't diss the blue helmet, and I won't diss your military. Critizise it all you want, but don't diss it.
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