Low End East River Real Estate. . .

 (Low End East River Real Estate. . .)

The Cold War did not necessarily need to happen. In the last days of the Second World War there was a collapse of Western, specifically American leadership. FDR passed in April 1945, a month before the end of the War in Europe. Winston Churchill had been voted out of Office just as the Potsdam Conference was convening. That left only Josef Stalin. One can remember the Atlantic Charter where the United Kingdom and the United States and the United Kingdom in setting aims for the coming conflict promised no territorial aggrandizement. They also made plans for an international body that would "police" nations and construct a framework for global peace. Peace of what ? This concept became known as the United Nations and it can be said that its international jurisdiction compromised the immediate aftermath of V-E Day, namely that the Western armies would be withdrawn from the most advanced positions because, that territory had been given to the Soviets. As well as the rest of Eastern Europe.

So, the United Nations as an international body was born amid two non-compatible world systems with the West accepting a supranational organization while the Eastern Bloc, aside from a Soviet veto in the Security Council, was left to its own devices. So, in the next decades of ideological struggle. the primary non-factor had been the United Nations. In any event, October 24th has been named United Nations Day. where the organization was founded. In time, the U.N. got its own skyscraper on the East River in New York City. As its impact on world events and its rapid anti-Americanism, especially in the General Assembly. If one needs any demonstration of how useless the U.N. can be look no further than the war in the Ukraine and the prospective war across Taiwan Strait.

So, with the East River edifice more irrelevant than ever, is there utility in keeping the U.N. in New York ? These pages have been critical of the organization over the years as it is simply an instrument working against American, and Israeli interests. The recommendation of moving the whole institution to Switzerland, like Genevia.

When has a so-called U.N. Peacekeeper ever made sense on the ground ? Has there ever been an instance where these "Blue Helmets" actually engaged terrorists ? Various African war lord militias ? The rules of engagement for these forces are so restrictive as to make any such deployments useless. Whenever there is a threat of combat erupting, these forces are immediately withdrawn.

So, on this United Nations Day, perhaps it would be a good idea to begin to re-examine the actual role this outdated experiment in international relations and begin to relegate it to a more appropriate configuration. The U.N. Building, that low end East River real estate, would do great as a homeless shelter. Just ask Harry Canyon.