Weak argument for UN

     Timothy Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation, exhibits panic in his column "Why U.N. is needed" (Commentary, Monday), as he presents weak, retread arguments for the future of the United Nations. I say "panic" because he obviously knows there has been a dramatic shift in how the rest of the nation views the United Nations.

     The fact is the world is in chaos, and quite frankly, it's the United Nations' fault. It gives validity to zealots and petty bigots, keeps tyrannical dictators in power and provides money and aid to international terrorists. The United Nations is the root of international trouble, not the answer. It is irrelevant as a tool for world peace.

     Delay, negotiate, recommend, study, reconsider, do nothing — that is the game the United Nations played while allowing the brutal Iraqi dictatorship to exist. It is the same game the United Nations has played in nearly every international crisis. It is the reason North Korea remains a threat and its oppressive dictatorship remains in power after 50 years. It's the reason Zimbabwe's murderous dictator, Robert Mugabe, is able to steal an election and then steal the land of white property owners, inflict famine on his country and still have a voice at the U.N. Sustainable Development Conference, which took place last fall in South Africa. It's the reason why Libya can be put in charge of the U.N. Human Rights Council and Iraq can be put in charge of the U.N. Disarmament Commission.

     The United Nations is dangerous because its most vocal membership stands in opposition to American values of controlled representative government, justice, free enterprise, individual privacy and private property rights.

     It is, however, the United States that is to blame for this situation because we allow this circus on the East River to exist. The only credibility the United Nations possesses comes from its recognition by the United States. The only financial security the United Nations enjoys comes from the funds provided by the United States. The only military punch available to the United Nations comes from American military might.

     The United States dutifully has been providing an elegant clubhouse in which pouting and jealous bureaucrats and self-inflated diplomats can pretend to matter. As long as the United States allows them to exist, and as long as this nation goes along with their demands, they do matter.

     The United Nations is nothing but a house of cards, but a very dangerous one. As the United Nations' irrelevance becomes clearer to the nation, as it drags its feet, delays and passes another meaningless resolution, the time has never been better to change the national mind-set to say, "Get us out of the United Nations." The time is now, and Mr. Wirth knows it.

     TOM DEWEESE
     President
     American Policy Center
     Warrenton, Va.