Yesterday I sat in the packed Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium in the United Nations for a screening of the film "Beyond the Gates." The day already started off with a very disappointing clear absence of the Genocide Memorial exhibit. If you haven't heard of the film, it was formerly called "Shooting Dogs" and I can not tell you how powerful it was. Perhaps it was a sense of collective sadness within the auditorium, but several times, I was just overwhelmed with emotion. Tears flowed as I watched a movie INSIDE the United Nations, about the FAILURE of the United Nations to save lives.
I couldn't help but think how many times we have said "Never Again" and how every day that nothing is done, more lives are lost in Darfur. One of the reoccurring themes mentioned in the film is the United Nations mandate not to intervene in Rwanda. Again, we are faced with these political language that all comes down to one meaning: we won't do anything. The one thing that continues to give me hope is the people around me, people like my fellow members of the student board who believe wholeheartedly in promoting change, and not giving up.
1 comment:
Last night, Akbar Gangi, an Iranian dissident, spoke at Lake Forest College. In response to a question about Iraq, he stated that UN troops are needed when we phase out the US troops.
Not an unreasonable expectation. Yet what about the UN troops needed in Darfur? Democratic Republic of the Congo? Central African Republic? The list goes on and on.
I am critical of the failing role the UN is playing in international politics.
But Akbar's comment made me wonder: have we set ourselves up? It seems that the UN is this legendary force in which we store faith. Yet we're having a difficult time accepting its failures.
We've developed the theory behind the United Nations, but no one is willing to back it up with resources. Our expectations exceed our commitment.
Is it, then, the fault of the UN? Or is it our own fault for not developing a better system?
Post a Comment