Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

Last time around, it was Butros Butros Ghali of Egypt. This time, it is Kofi Annan of Ghana.

The attempt by the present US Administration to blackmail and run the best African Secretary-general out of town on silly trumped-up charges of incompetence and mismanagement, because of some administrative lapses in some Units of the UN, is pathetic and should be seen for what it is.

What are your thoughts Ladies & Gents?

.....Two corrupt organizations battling it out.   Annan's son's involvment in the oil for food fiasco cannot be simply washed away.   The UN is rife with nepotism and corruption.  But then, compared to what?   What is the UN anyway?   What are chinese, south American and other troops and policeman in UN garb doing in Haiti after US and French machinations to control the situation there?  Remember Kosovo?  

Maybe Mr. Anon is caught up in something way larger than himself and is doing the best that can be done with this thing called the UN.    Unquestioning beleif in the goodness of the UN is dangerous.   It's history has been mostly about organizing the world under European domination.

As in any large institution there are some good people and programs struggling to do something right.  But as the president of South Africa recently questioned,  is this thing, the UN,  predominantly a world police force dominated by Europe and USA?

You raise some very good points. I do agree with you that Mr. Annan is caught up in a web of corruption and to make matters worse his son is involved. Koffi Annan has proven to be an independent thinker and not a stooge of The United States.

That said, my question to you is would you rather have George Bush and his cohorts dropping bombs all over the world under the pretext of spreading freedom & democracy or a corrupt UN overseeing conflicts in troubled world spots?

As corrupt, dis-organized etc, as it may be, The UN will for many years to come, play a very important symbolic role in world affairs.

The Bush administration in a spineless attempt to besmirch Annan because he declared their war illegal, is in fact weakening what I consider a very important organization. Their sole aim to is dominate, use and misuse as you so eloquently state.

Somebody has to stand up against US and European domination, especially now that there is only one super power. Who has the guts to do so .......Haiti? Only The rest of the world under the umbrella of the UN has some ability to do so and because of that all of us must support The UN and it's independence at all costs!