Zimbabwe to Chair UN Commission on Sustainable Development—Unfortunately, That's Not Just a Sick Joke

It's enough to make you weep or throw things in frustration. Zimbabwe has been selected to head the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. As the Times (London) observes, Robert Mugabe's government has

…left 700,000 of its citizens without accommodation by bulldozing their homes, caused millions more to starve after violent land seizures that destroyed farming and so mismanaged its own economy that it has the world's highest inflation.

The Harrisonburg Daily News properly asks:

Is there any nation on Earth more unsuited for that position?

I can think of a few other possible nominees. Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo come to mind, but the Daily News' point is valid.

This is not an isolated instance of outrageous UN appointments. Recall that Libya was once selected to head the UN Human Rights Commission.

Frequent reason contributor Jonathan Rauch once proposed creating a league of democracies as a counterweight to a thoroughly corrupt UN.

Finally, it seems that Robert Mugabe is following my advice on how to achieve the miracle of poverty.