Tall on Principle, Small on Support

"(Humanity) will judge our success by how well we further the ends of prosperity, security and human dignity. You measure results by measuring the results. Not by weighing best efforts. Not by counting good intentions. Not by calculating inputs."
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, United Nations General Assembly, Fall 2012

Entirely too generous; imputing 'good intentions' to the lackeys of the United Nations. By the measurements of enduring and non-negotiable values and realities held to a universal standard of right and wrong the United Nations is often mealy-mouthed, and all too often swamped by the self-interested interpretations of the powerfully influential blocs for which imperatives such as human rights are of complete disinterest.

It is why no UN mission was forwarded to Sudan to compel the Sudanese government forces and their janjaweed militias to halt their murderous assaults in Darfurian civilians. The Muslim bloc would certainly look askance at such an intervention; just as it is deliberately oblivious to the International Criminal Court's condemnation of war crimes against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, charged with three counts of genocide.

The Rwandan genocide, despite more than ample warnings and pleas by General Romeo Dallaire for additional peace-keeping troops and permission to intervene militarily in the then-Hutu government's plans to destroy the Tutsi minority in Rwanda, along with any Hutu foolish enough not to join the planned massacres, went ignored, and the slaughter commenced, destroying between 500,000 and a million lives before the bloodshed ended.

Minister Baird is not enamoured of the work done by the United Nations, all too often dismally distant from its mandate to work toward enshrining within all its member states a code of  universal human rights, and to seek diplomatic means to avoid conflicts, and when that fails, call upon member states to intervene, if and when possible, under the UN peacekeeping mandate. Which didn't work too well at Srebrenica, and hasn't worked with Iran and with Syria.

Canada has become the proverbial fox among the chickens, stirring up frantic cackling from those who prefer quietly unquestioning diplomacy and acceptance of the status quo. For his pains in following the course of Canada's principled stance toward the United Nations and its member states, the country is fast becoming one of its most unpopular members. Standing four-square beside Israel. An outlier country which has enraged and outraged the powerful Arab and Muslim blocs.

Which have now turned their baleful eyes on Canada. Israel stands out as a country unique within the United Nations, a free democracy with an untrammelled judiciary, and equality among its citizens whatever their ethnic origin, religion and ideology and gender orientation, but is viewed as a human-rights offender. Brought to task by the real human-rights offenders who hold office within the UN's Human Rights Council on an ongoing basis.

Now, it is Canada's turn. The UN special rapporteur on food visited Canada last year and found the country horribly wanting in respect of wholesome and nutritious food availability to all its citizens. There are more on their way. Expected now, after a verbal bruising by the Human Rights Council, is the UN special rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

All meant to investigate a first-world liberal democracy's human rights failings. As though Zimbabwe, Somalia, Syria, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo and so many others represent sterling examples of human rights entitlements in action.

For this privilege the taxpayers of Canada shell out $76 million annually in support of the UN, as the country representing the seventh-largest global contributor.

Yet Canada is still there, plugging away. Not influential enough, even among its European allies, to counter Portugal for a seat in the revolving Security Council, where an aggravated Arab bloc is able to call in its favours from the  non-aligned bloc eager to curry favour with the oil-wealthy sheikdoms and kingdoms of oil currency.