UN, Condemning Syria

There, it's official. Right from the dove's beak. The United Nations itself has declared that Syria is mired in a state of civil war. Its leading human rights official has characterized the death toll that has gradually unfolded in that country as "much more" than four thousand in number. In fact the UN Human Rights Council was to debate an independent report to be presented to them on Friday.

Which should have made for some lively discussions indeed. Ending as it did in the Council chiding Syria unequivocally. Considering that up until a very short while ago Libya was a member, membership since cancelled. Currently Pakistan, where an religious (Islam) apostate can be tried and put to death by law, and Nigeria (which has just enacted an anti-same-sex law) and China (where it represses Tibetans and Falun Gong among other groups) are members.

And of course there is also Saudi Arabia, another member, famous for its intolerance of other religions within Wahhabi Saudi Arabia; famous too for spreading Wahhabism through its generous oil-money-funding of madrasses internationally, the well-spring of violent jihad. Yet they are to judge Syria, which has always enjoyed a prestigious position among UN bodies such as this as an admirable, law-giving and human-rights-respecting state.

In point of fact, the United Nations, which is so lividly distressed by al-Assad's regime and his military repression has just recently nominated Syria, even while it is brutally slaughtering its regime opponents, to two key UN human rights bodies, through UNESCO. The unanimous election of Syria took place on November 11. A day before the League of Arab States suspended Syrian membership in that body.

UNESCO represents the United Nation's agency on science, culture and education. It had also welcomed as new members Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan and Russia, all of whom are so obviously dedicated to the universal concept of human rights. In any event, Syria was already on the executive board, along with Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, China and Algeria, each of which represents an undying devotion to human rights.

So while Navay Pillay fulminates about Syria's human rights abuses: "I have said that as soon as there were more and more defectors threatening to take up arms, I said this in August before the Security Council, there was going to be a civil war. At the moment that's how I am characterizing this", Syria has been nominated to serve a second 2-year term on the UN's Committee on Conventions and Recommendations.

That the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations is tasked with examining "communications ... relating to the exercise of human rights" according to the information available on UNESCO's Website, is deliciously ironic. And, as it happens, Syria is also slated to join the Committee on International Non-Governmental Organizations, whose mandate it is to encourage activist groups whose purpose is to assist in furthering UNESCO's overall goals.

All of which is in perfect accord with the activities of any UN agency, including the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council itself. Conflicted within itself, with its mandate, its purpose, to establish and maintain world peace, security and human rights. All of which perplexing absurdities are to be overlooked for the United Nations represents a flawed humanity; how could it not itself reflect that condition?

Priding itself all the while as an exemplar of humane interaction and interventor as a champion for peace, advancement, prosperity, good health and equality.