I think people in general have unrealistic expectations of the UN. It's not useless, I think it's a good thing to have around, but they're not going to come in and save the day when stuff like this happens.

[–] Plantee@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

Indeed, that is what had happened to the League of Nations and why the US never joined.

Also the UN is still an important platform where diplomatic relations are upheld even in dire situations. Even with Russia it is important to have some lines of discussion.

[–] callouscomic@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

But but but I was told by Christians to fear the rise of one world government!!!!

[–] MedicatedMaybe@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"UN peacekeeping missions operate in the most dangerous and difficult environments in the world, dealing with conflicts – or their aftermath – which others cannot or will not address. We can achieve what others can’t, but success is never guaranteed.

We have, built up an impressive record of peacekeeping achievements over more than 70 years of our existence, including winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since 1948, the UN has helped end conflicts and foster reconciliation by conducting successful peacekeeping operations in dozens of countries, including Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mozambique, Namibia and Tajikistan.

UN peacekeeping has also made a real difference in other places with recently completed or on-going operations such as Sierra Leone, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Timor-Leste, Liberia, Haiti and Kosovo. By providing basic security guarantees and responding to crises, these UN operations have supported political transitions and helped buttress fragile new state institutions. They have helped countries to close the chapter of conflict and open a path to normal development, even if major peacebuilding challenges remain.

In other instances, however, UN peacekeeping – and the response by the international community as a whole – have been challenged and found wanting, for instance in Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. These setbacks provided important lessons for the international community when deciding how and when to deploy and support UN peacekeeping as a tool to restore and maintain international peace and security"

This is only touching on the peacekeeping aspect of the UN. They do lot of other work such as humanitarian aid, human rights, international law, sustainable development, and focus on climate change.

The UN isn't perfect however it's hard to ignore that it does have a net positive on the world. We can always work to make it better but I think saying that it's useless isn't true.

You can look up more of what the UN does on their website or feel free to find other sources on what they've done since they came to be.

[+] MisterD@lemmy.ca -11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't understand the point of the UN. They have no army. They can't coordinate sanctions They can't prevent or end wars

Does it even have a stated goal?

[–] Hubi@feddit.de 36 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The UN is first and foremost just a forum for world leaders to communicate. The whole point is that everyone participates in it so it's impossible for the institution itself to assume radical positions. It's inherently a flawed system but it's the best you can get right now with "superpowers" like the US, China and Russia.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Exactly. It's to enable diplomacy instead of war.

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[–] MedicatedMaybe@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

This would be a good place to start if you're curious about the mission statement of the UN. This website has a lot of good information about their areas of focus. https://www.un.org/en/our-work

The work of the UN focuses on five major areas. 1.Maintain International Peace and Security. 2.Protect Human Rights. 3.Deliver Humanitarian Aid. 3.Support Sustainable Development and Climate Action. 3.Uphold International Law

They have a lot of information on their website about all of these areas. I would highly suggest going and looking at information on their peacekeeping and how they've helped in that area. They are certainly far from perfect but that doesn't make them pointless. They do a lot of good work and are making a net positive impact.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I hope the UN does something about this, like call for restraint, or caution against escalation. Maybe they could call for a vote to condemn violence against civilians. That ought to do the trick.

[–] TylerDurdenJunior@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

oh my.. that will surely make a difference to the 2.3 million people held captive by the Israeli state

[–] Airazz@lemmy.world -5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Don't pretend like Hamas are the good guys.

[–] Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is a case where given the circumstances they absolutely are the good guys. They're the only ones resisting the ethnic cleansing and war crimes. It just looks horrifying because the media considers the lives the colonized to be less than worthless so when they shoot back it's seen as a massive act of aggression when really they're just doing a fraction of what's been done to them for the last decade.

[–] Airazz@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They resist ethnic cleansing by raping and torturing hundreds of people, even children?

[–] Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Because it's totally OK when the other guys do it, get a hold of yourself.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 4 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 9 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was "deeply distressed" by an announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas over the weekend.

"I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in – no electricity, food, or fuel," Guterres said.

Guterres said the situation in Gaza was "extremely dire" before the surprise assault by the militant group, adding that it will "only deteriorate exponentially."

"I urge all sides and the relevant parties to allow United Nations access to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians trapped and helpless in the Gaza Strip," he said while appealing to the international community to mobilize immediate humanitarian support.

Hamas gunmen burst across the fence from Gaza on Saturday, killing Israeli soldiers and civilians and taking dozens of hostages back to the coastal enclave.

Israel responded with its heaviest bombardment of Gaza and could be contemplating a ground assault on the territory it withdrew from nearly two decades ago after 38 years of occupation.

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