Bush’s Missed UN Opportunity

As Sebastian Mallaby notes, the current global climate requires competent international institutions to help usher in the change. In the past, world policy deals could be hashed out by a small, Western-oriented group of diplomats – but no longer. Today, the rise of newer economic powers such as China, India, and Brazil has United Nations leaders scrambling to decide exactly how to slice the global oversight pie. The Bush administration has offered support for the African Union and Organization of American States, but reforms in the Security Council are overdue, as its membership no longer represents the current economic and cultural balance of power. Mallaby praises the World Bank model, a weighted system that incorporates both smaller nations and greater powers, as a step in the right direction. However, Washington's half-hearted approach to UN reform may render the upcoming round of talks among world leaders moot. According to Mallaby, this missed opportunity could hamper the cause of UN reform for years to come. –YaleGlobal