Donald Trump continues to break all the rules as world leader in chief. Speaking at the UN not long ago, he had the tenacity to declare ‘my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.’ Quite a statement. I’m not what the Founding Fathers – Messer's Jefferson, Hamilton and Washington among them – would think about that. Quite rightly, world leaders – that's right folks, not viewers of Saturday Night Live – chuckled, laughing even. And if there’s one thing the Donald – a chauvinist who likes hanging out with strong men, more concerned about the size of his nuclear arsenal than whether all US citizens can access healthcare – doesn't like, it’s ridicule.
The starker element of his speech rose from the statement rejecting globalism, instead 'embracing the doctrine of patriotism.’ This is baffling on many accounts. Firstly, by the very nature of being US president, you are, rightly in my view, the leader of the free world. With such an astronomical world influence, based around the values of the Enlightenment age, comes responsibility. Secondly, while I am no neo-liberal globalist, who only cares about free trade, rejecting culture and the negative elements of capitalism, I believe in supranational organisations trying to deal with issues that will affect humanity for centuries to come. I will also continue to believe that pooling together ideas for the benefit of humanity and loving the country where you are from are not, and do not need to be, mutually exclusive. Mini-rant over, for I do not want Mr Trump to receive even more words of admiration/horror in the public sphere. Plenty of other people covering his administration far more closely can be left to that. Instead, I wish to focus on where he was speaking, a institution that is inevitably globalist: the United Nations. Headquarters in New York, it is frequently referred to, but not often discussed in depth. It can be very easy to criticise the UN, mainly because the focus is weighted on the Security Council: the bastion for making sure a World War never takes place again. With the power of the veto, often used by Russia and US, implementing decisions can often be a challenge. Progress is halted, potential reforms that could probably benefit humanity don’t take place because of the veto of countries based on the international system of 1945. Reform is needed: I wouldn’t mind increasing the number of permanent secretary members by including Germany, Japan, Brazil and India. There should probably be more non-permanent members (especially from African countries) who spend five years, rather than two on the UNSC. This would allow a wider range of voices and ideas to be heard before a cohesive decision was made that may affect hundreds of millions for generations to come. Despite the frequent opposition that faces the UN, I feel there are many parts of the organisation that are worth celebrating. Take the World Health Organisation. Who can disagree with the view all humans should have access to water, medicines, assistance and that harmful diseases should be eradicated? It is one of the greatest parts of the UN, because its aims are so universal, profound and easy to understand. Just half a century ago, it would have seemed impossible that smallpox would ever be eradicated – by 1977, through shared global effort, it was. Among other achievements include action against whooping cough, TB, a focus on how environmental issues can affect our health, along with encouraging women to breastfeed, are all admirable. Nearly everyone wants war criminals to be held accountable. For those that believe in the values of democracy, justice, liberty, freedom of speech and human rights, the actions of dictators who endorse torture, genocide and crime against humanity are truly despicable, the crimes horrific as to make me lost for words. Nobody can ever truly capture what millions went through. What a brilliant innovation that the International Criminal Court is there, only 20 years old, but ready and able to punish war criminals. It uses fair trials, upholding the ideal that, however monstrous the crime you may have committed is, every individual is entitled to a fair trial. This has led to war criminals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central Africa Republic, the former Yugoslavia, among others, be held accountable for their crimes. This is surely a fair superior method of accountability and punishment than the ‘humanitarian intervention’, often disguised as protecting Britain’s interests, which leaves countries as failed states, often fueling the rise of Jihadists the intervention says it is trying to prevent. One of the amazing elements of the European Union that I believe never got discussed enough was the European Parliament: this elected body where all members democratically came together to discuss European-wide issues. Sent by the voters, they were able to implement legislation and regulations that would affect us all for decades to come. Sadly, in the EU referendum, all the Brexiteers seemed to forget the fact we had MEPs, instead trying to make the EU sound totally unaccountable. The same is true in the UN. Every member is part of the General Assembly, each country having an equal vote no matter their influence on the world. The two thirds majority required for certain issues excellently ensures that some consensus is bought about when disputes arise. Long may all nations having a say continue! Along with the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organisation has lots to be proud of. Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969 for developing justice for workers, it exemplifies how multiple countries can come together to improve the situation of individuals. Worldwide, this ensures a basic standard of pay and rights are reached, so crucial to ensure people experience dignity at work. The work they have done to assist with HIV/AIDS is also commendable, trying to end the stigma and ensure everyone receives necessary help. This, ironically, was also assisted by the European Union, hence the justification for the left-wing argument for European departure doesn’t really stack up. Multiple organisations try to create uniformity of standards, making work fair, worthwhile and productive, with employers, quite rightly, facing accountability. The UN will soon be 75. It’s quite an achievement, given the failures of the League of Nations, that the body has lasted that long. They are multiple challenges for the future: terrorism, climate change, automation, requiring the experiences of policy wonks and individuals from around the world. While the UN should recognize its failures, potentially by reforming the Security Council, it must continue to positively make the case for its existence, stating how nations are benefiting from membership. If not, like the EU, it will be left to isolationist nationalists like Mr Trump to only criticise diplomacy and create more tensions. In these challenging times, that surely cannot be allowed to take place.
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