01 Apr 2005 Dueling Plans for U.N. Reform

Is Glenn Reynolds calling for U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations?

That’s one way to read the last line of this post — but I’m not sure that’s what he means.

Glenn links to this piece by Austin Bay, who recommends reforming the U.N. this way:

As for real reform: (1) strip France of permanent U.N. Security Council status; (2) keep Russia as a permanent member, but with no veto (all it has are nukes); (3) add India and Japan as permanent Security Council members (though with no veto). Now Britain wields the European veto, China the Asian and America the real veto.

Dubious merits aside, this will never, ever be adopted.

Here’s my reform proposal:

1) Put every nation on the Security Council.

2) Give every nation a veto.

3) Withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. entirely.

End result: A paralyzed, neutered U.N. that Americans don’t pay for.