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Letter: UN: a shortsighted lame duck

Talk about Taiwan and the UN is already becoming quite tedious. The facts are out there, plain as day: Taiwan is a clearly defined territory with an independent government rightfully elected by the people. The Taiwanese consider Taiwan an independent nation. The economy and population of Taiwan carry more weight and representation in the global arena than most actual UN members.

Nevertheless it is still impossible for the Taiwanese people to be duly represented in the UN. The reason, some say, is the infamous Resolution 2758, but this resolution says nothing about Taiwanese people or Taiwan. It only talks about China and the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石). It goes on to say the General Assembly restores all its rights to the People's Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy.

The real reason behind Taiwan's impossible situation though is probably the lame-duck nature of the UN. An institution born in the aftermath of World War II, the winners took great care to make the UN well-secured through -- what an irony -- the Security Council. Even with this great shortcoming, the ideal of a world body where all nations could be represented gained momentum and overcame all the limitations and havoc of the Cold War. Regardless of the size or status of a nation, even tiny nations or those engaged in the process of national reconciliation could all join. Notable examples include Germany, North and South Korea, new African states born in the 1960s and 1970s and more recently the Balkans and East Timor.

In Taiwan's case, though, the UN has become an annoying biased judge rather than a neutral party like it should be. Instead of being a partner promoting understanding on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and caring for the fair treatment of the weaker side (the Taiwanese in this case), the UN has decided to side with silence and insensibility -- the worst enemies of world peace and mutual understanding.

The UN's approach to the pleas of the Taiwanese -- do not see them, do not hear them, do not talk to them -- only shows two things. First, it demonstrates that the UN has no ability to resolve any real world disputes at all. And secondly, it reveals the organization's true colors. It reveals that just like any other international association or organization in the world, it is ruled only by raw political power.

The real power and influence of an international association such as this lies in its moral authority. But keeping Taiwan and its 23 million people out without any solid reason, wounds the organization and hollows out the UN's raison d'etre.

With a UN like this, who needs enemies?

Name withheld
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