The UN Human Rights Council was created to replace the hypocritical (Libya was past President), ineffective and discredited Human Rights Commission. History seems doomed to repeat itself as this spokesman for Human Rights Watch rightly notes in his tirade:


http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24924&only

The response of the President says it all. He doesn't even know who is speaking, then feebly attempts to refer to the "UN Watch" while refusing to take any responsibility and threatening to strike dissent from the record. This is the UN, not China. This Council is a joke - whatever position you take on the Middle East conflict, the fact that it passes resolution after resolution condemning Israel while silent on Darfur, Chechnya, the Congo, Uganda and Tibet is shameful.

When I was working at the UN in Geneva (low staff morale would be an understatement), people would always ask why the bright young interns with fresh ideas wouldn't stay. This makes it pretty obvious. Diplomat's kids get cushy jobs, accountability is nonexistent and bureaucracy wins the day. The Secretary General is chosen for his unique lack of a spine (Ban Ki-Who?), while worthy candidates like Shashi Tharoor are left apologizing for organizational failures. But it's not just the UN, it's the member countries who function by nothing more than naked self-interest. Oh and in case nobody has noticed, there's a genocide taking place in Darfur.