In fact, they would probably still be alive if they had been under UN command, because the UN general in Mogadishu knew what he was doing. The other factor, of course, is the ideological turnaround in this country, the anti-government movement. And if you're anti-government, the UN is 185 governments, so you can be 185 times as vitriolic. There has been an ideological trend towards a xenophobic isolationism which you see exemplified in somebody like Pat Buchanan, but it's not so uncommon among congressmen in Washington, the newer lot particularly. The mythology about the UN is absolutely breathtaking.
People believe it costs a great deal of money to the United States.
The United States makes a net gain. People believe it's a world government, although the UN is a pathetically weak organization which improvises in emergencies to try to prevent the worst from happening. And after all, the United States has a veto in the Security Council. Until one cuts through that ideological fog, it's going to be difficult to try to restore the kind of support the UN used to have. The UN certainly needs a great deal of administrative reform, it needs much better leadership, it needs much better management, it needs to have a better civil service.