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The title says it all. Inside the Asylum, by Jed Babbin, a former deputy undersecretary of defense, provides a chilling indictment of UN policies over the last decade regarding international terrorism, a corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy, and the undisguised enmity of other countries for the United States and all it stands for. Babbin also harshly criticizes the EU and shows how it has contributed to the UN’s current state of affairs. Every chapter of this book reveals one shocking fact after another. Probably the most blatant example of UN inefficiency is the delay caused by the endless debates about the invasion of Iraq. Babbin contends that if America had started the war sooner, we would have saved the lives of many soldiers and caught Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction. As it is, America has lost credibility worldwide and is blamed for starting an unnecessary war. Our failure to locate the weapons, however, is almost certainly the UN’s fault rather than ours. The author blames Kofi Annan for many of the UN’s problems. He is the most activist, self-serving secretary-general in the history of the organization, having expanded both its influence and his own far beyond the dictates of the UN Char-ter. Under his guidance, the UN has refused to help the United States rebuild Iraq because the UN would not be in control of the effort. He has also expanded the UN bureaucracy, mostly with delegates from Third World countries, while the U.S. pays the largest chunk of the salaries. Babbin’s fundamental argument is that the UN is more trouble than it’s worth to the U. S. Both the UN and the EU are morally bankrupt and have no business telling Americans what to do. America should certainly continue to build and maintain alliances, but it should do so on its own terms. Inside the Asylum’s principal argument is well supported and would prove useful for anyone interested in what really goes on at the UN. (Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004, 196 pps, $27.95) |
The UN practically gives a free pass to terrorists because it refuses to define terrorism, thereby making action against terrorists much more difficult. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees even employs members of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad with the excuse that they are merely providing humanitarian aid. The Oil-for-Food program, ostensibly designed to provide such aid to the Iraqi people, actually enabled Saddam Hussein to bribe UN politicians, oppress Iraqis, and steal billions of dollars. The UN allowed its operation to be infiltrated by Iraqi intelligence agents and even failed to ensure that the food and medicine being sent to Iraq were fit for use.
