An Open-Ended Survey: What is your impression/opinion of the UN?

[Algernon Moncrieff]

Barack Obama has invited you over for White House home brew, and he asks you about your impressions of the United Nations. You think to yourself, "This seems like an odd question...but he's the President...and it's his beer...so...."

Responses could include, but are not limited to: Great!; Sucks!; not worth the investment; good on some things but not on others; humankinds best hope; needs to relocate out of New York; needs to be restructured; needs to do more; needs more investment.

What do you think?

[leveymg]

1. What are you going to replace it with?

If you get a sensible answer to that question, I'd be very surprised.

[RedCappedBandit]

2. Eh.. too big to have one encompassing opinion

Great things come out of the UN. Always room for improvement.

[KamaAina]

3. "needs to relocate out of New York"

When the Soviet Union broke up, I had my eye on Kaliningrad (Konigsberg), a Russian enclave separated from the rest of Russia by Lithuania, as a permanent site for the UN. There's quite a bit of territory around the city itself, enough for a sort of UN city-state. Alas, if that ever happens, it'll have to wait until Pooty-poot goes away.

A big drawback to having it in NYC is that the host country (us) tends to dictate from time to time what the UN can and cannot do, like have Yasser Arafat come and address it.

[leveymg]

5. Westchester County. Lots of prime, unused corporate space available.

[KamaAina]

6. Ridgefield, Conn., right across the state line, was among the original finalists

but it placed dead last, owing to its being a small town with no airport and only a branch railroad station.

And there'd still be the issue of the U.S. having control over entry visas.

[leveymg]

7. I'm from Stars Hollow, a few towns east. Alas, same visa problem. ;-)

[HereSince1628]

4. Great example of global government...5 bigs act like oligarchs but allow the littles

to pretend it makes much difference.

As a big clearing house for nations too poor to have consulates and embassies it's ok but a lot like indoor shopping malls.

I suspect with the internet, it's office in NYC are mostly redundant.