IS THERE NEED TO REVITALIZE UNITED NATIONS

I ask you a simple and oft repeated question. If you have headache will you apply a balm or take some tablet to get rid of the headache or will you cut your head? Saying that the UN has not lived up to expectations is one thing and asking for disbanding is another thing. If the UN is ineffective then who made it ineffective also needs to be analyzed. My argument is that the United Nations is the best bet for the world peace and progress. I agree that the United Nations is not living up to expectations. I want the UN to be revitalized and revamped too keeping in view the current realities. The goals and the agenda of the United Nations are laudable and to make the UN perform its tasks what is needed is revamping and revitalization. Your argument that the UN must be disbanded if implemented, leads to the powerful nations dominating the entire world, irrespective of merits of the issues. As we know, not only the issues of war and peace, the UN also acts in the fields of concerns of the nations as a whole. I think one of the main reasons for the ineffectiveness of the UN is the disagreement among the permanent members especially during the cold war period. Both the then super powers played games to keep their flock together and took the world to the brink. Veto power was used by the permanent members for their self interests and not for the cause of world peace. Thankfully now the world is a better place to live. No longer the War groupings like Nato or Warsaw are relevant with the demise of the cold war. Germans were reunited. Russia no longer poses a threat to the US or its allies. China too agrees on major issues and solutions. Economic interdependence emerged as the chief national interest for many nations. Global village concept is gaining ground. Europe has already got a common currency challenging the Dollar supremacy. Yet we have many hot spots like Terrorism which emerged as threat number one to global peace. The unresolved disputes in the middle- east, the violence in Srilanka, unresolved Indo-Pak disputes, are among the major concerns before the world. I think that the time is ideal for reforming/revamping/revitalizing the United Nations into a powerful instrument for ensuring global peace and all round development. We can strengthen the UN by taking the following steps. 1.To implement its goals UN needs a lot of money. The principles governing contributions by member states must be revised keeping in view the changed realities. If each country pays 1% of their budget allocation, whether the nation is poor or rich, the UN will have so much of funds to carry out the tasks before it. It is the small price that each member need to pay. 2.Security Council must be broadly representative. The biggest populous countries like India cannot be left out. 3.Veto Power must be taken out. The Security Council must implement the decisions of voted by ï¿½ of the council members. 4.The UN must be located in a neutral land preferably an island without any interference from the other nations. 5.UN must have an effective mechanism that prevents the outbreak of conflicts. In the event of out break, UN must take over the administration of that country till the situation improves. 6.Countries must redefine what sovereignty means in the present day world. 7.In facing common threats like terrorism, UN must be given a lead role. 8.Countries must give up their aspiration to dominate the world or other nations. My plea is let us make UN work effectively. Let us remove the hurdles that block its performance. My friend can check up the foreign exchange reserves of nations like China, Japan , Russia and India to understand that they can bear the burden in funding the UN budget in the changed scenario. When you talk of American tax payers money going to fund countries that vote against America, you must be also knowing how much America spends on fighting or preventing terrorist acts. It is close to 500 Billion dollars annually according to some reports. America and the world together through UN can fight better against the common enemies that ensure a peaceful world. US alone how ever mighty or powerful it may be will be able to fight against terrorism in isolation. What is needed is understanding the common causes and common solutions and UN is the right platform.