Can We Quit the UN Yet?
Why on Earth are Americans, unlike their enlightened comrades in Europe, so skeptical of the United Nations? I haven't a clue, though I suspect that, as Tim Cavanaugh noted a few weeks ago, it might have something to do with Iran being nominated to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. This was Tehran's Plan B, having been pressured into abandoning its bid to sit on the UN Human Rights Council. Hilarious, right? After slaughtering demonstrators in the streets, filling the torture chambers at Evin prison with students, they wanted to adjudicate on human rights violations in other countries? Silly Mullahs, those spots are resevered for countries like Switzerland, Spain, and…Libya:
Seven countries accused of human rights violations, including Libya, Angola and Malaysia, won seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council in an uncontested election Thursday.
The U.N. General Assembly approved all 14 candidates for the 14 seats on the 47-member council by wide margins despite campaigns by human rights groups to deny countries with poor rights records the minimum number of votes needed.
All 14 countries easily topped the 97 votes required from the 192-member world body. Libya, which currently holds the presidency of the General Assembly, received the lowest number of votes — 155 — while Angola got 170 and Malaysia 179.
In addition to these three countries, human rights groups criticized the poor rights records of Thailand, Uganda, Mauritania and Qatar which also won seats.
I went without booze (and fun) for a four-day, Qaddafi-funded junket in Libya last year.
