The irrelevance of the UN

Can you believe it? The UN still cannot agree on a definition for terrorism.

The killing of more than 150 people in Baghdad yesterday threw into stark relief the irrelevance of the United Nations. The mass murder of civilians on the streets of the capital took place a day after the General Assembly had failed to resolve differences on what constitutes a terrorist act, thus preventing agreement on a comprehensive anti-terrorism convention before the UN's 60th anniversary summit. With their eye on the Palestinian struggle for statehood, countries such as Egypt and Pakistan had argued that recourse to violence by the "freedom fighter" was legitimate. Putting the opposing case to the assembly yesterday, George W Bush and Tony Blair rightly condemned all attacks on civilians and non-combatants, whatever the cause or grievance. It is depressing to see allies of the United States seeking to justify certain acts of terrorism, particularly as they themselves have suffered from this scourge.

The UN further underlined its irrelevance by making no mention of non-proliferation and disarmament in its "outcome document". Following the impasse at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in May, the absence of consensus was hardly surprising. But it says little for the assembly's sense of responsibility that it remained silent on the greatest threat to world security, particularly if weapons of mass destruction get into terrorist hands. Kofi Annan, the secretary-general, called the omission inexcusable.

Well before the opening of yesterday's summit, the world body had abandoned plans to grant permanent membership of the Security Council to Japan, Germany, Brazil and India. In the final stage of negotiations, it failed to reach agreement on establishing a more effective successor to the tarnished UN Commission on Human Rights, and on endowing the secretary-general with greater executive powers. Given the lack of accountability revealed by the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal, the latter was a glaring dereliction.