Trump likely to acknowledge Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel

**spmetla** · 12-23-2017, 21:32

As fraught as the UN is with problems I'm still a supporter of the institution. It like many things needs reform so that the Human Rights section isn't filled and chaired by countries that are the worst violators. The Security Council, though it has usually been a deadlock between the US plus Allies versus USSR/Russia/China still has been able to put more sanctions on countries, has been a good forum for at least discussing problems instead of defaulting to war. There's something to be said that there hasn't been a world war since the second one and the UN together with nuclear deterrent has been a part of that.

While I wish the US found more support in it I'm not surprised that most of the third world usually votes with their pockets or history and sides with Russia or China. That does not however make it a useless organization. I'm glad it's based in NYC which in part is what keeps us from leaving it which would leave it purely as a forum for our rivals while at the same time allowing them to get international legitimacy while the US would then be a 'rogue' state though a great power one at that.
A UN without the US would lead to it being as useless and weak as the League of Nations which would in turn likely lead to more regional wars because most countries would just need to seek a tacit okay from Russia or China and not have to worry about it being an illegal war. If the US walks from the world there's no longer the Pax Britannia-Frankia to ensure free trade and curb the return of regional hegemonies.

PS: When's the Backroom going on it's annual Christmas Truce?

**Seamus Fermanagh** · 12-23-2017, 21:34

Originally Posted by Kralizec

Interesting, even the UK voted for the resolution. I was expecting them to abstain. It also seems that only a handful of fairly obscure countries voted with Israel and the USA, and as far as I know none of them are allies to either....

Most of those voting with the USA and Israel on the measure were small archipelago countries in the Pacific and a lot of their economies are bound up with the USA at least at one remove. Honduras is trying to get through an election that is somewhat of a shambles and both sides seek to curry favor with the USA. Not sure why Guatemala voted our way.

**Montmorency** · 12-23-2017, 22:31

Originally Posted by Xiahou

Jake Tapper actually summed up my thoughts on the UN General Assembly vote condemning the US for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capitol....

Aside from being irrelevant tu quoque sniping, it's kind of unreflective to rag on Yemen for drafting the resolution while "7 million Yemenis [are] on the brink of starvation in that country's civil war".

I suppose Saudi Arabia and the UAE don't get derided by Tapper for fomenting the civil war and the starvation (in fairness), nor the US government for providing material, financial, and moral support to these countries, or indeed for being "more focused on where the US puts its embassy in Israel" than the civil rights of women, foreign workers, etc.

Moreover, are Russia and China right to say that the United States is in no position to lecture them without having cleaned its own house? I don't think so.

That segment was completely unnecessary and editorially foolish.

Is Israel truly deserving of 86% of the world's condemnation?

No, but condemnation of Israel (without further action) is one of the easiest consensuses to reach in the UN General Assembly. There are a lot of such resolutions because Arab states keep advancing them, and any resolution put to vote seems to get approved for the most part.

Perhaps one would like a resolution condemning excessive Arab resolution submissions?

Originally Posted by Husar

Here's a list that shows how the countries voted, seemed harder to find than it should be.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/1...180116873.html

My post above had a BBC link.

Most of the countries that voted with the US are members of the Compact of Free Association (COFA), says Daniel Kliman, a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, "which would explain their votes".