Are what point are we complicit in UN atrocities?

By Clarice Feldman

Captain Ed reviews the latest charge--this time in the Sudan--of the sexual abuse of children by UN peacekeepers, and reminds us of that such abuse has been detailed all around the world since 2004 with no action being taken. He asks an excellent question: when does our funding of this organization make us complicit in this conduct?

At some point in time, we have to ask ourselves whether we want to remain complict in the UN's chronic atrocities. After all, our money funds these missions, and that gives us a measure of responsibility for these crimes. If the UN refuses to take any real and effective action to stop these abuses and to ensure that they do not occur again, we should pull our funding for the UN on that basis alone. Let the entire corrupt organization collapse of its own moral rot, and work towards replacing it with an organization that has accountability and discipline built into its operations.

Surely, if this were being done by U.S. troops, it would receive massive press coverage here and especially overseas, and demands for action, wouldn't it? Compare the seriousness of child rape with panties-on-the-head and menacing with a dog, as occurred at Abu Ghraib.

Why does the world keep averting its eyes to atrocious behavior when committed by international organizations?