The Test of our Times: on Foreign Policy

Tom Ridge: UNICEF is ok, but the rest of the UN is ineffective

But with notable exceptions, such as UNICEF and its response to national disasters, the organization hasn't served the purposes its founders intended. The mantra is always "Take it to the U.N." In the case of Iraq, what was the magic number of sanctions that the international body could impose on Saddam before taking more drastic action? 12, 20, 50? Like many Americans, I had grown impatient with the posturing and impotence the United Nations displayed. After all, Saddam had used poison gas against his own people, and thousands of Kurds had died as a result. The United Nations could not prevent such a disaster, nor could it adequately respond to it.