New Heights of Absurdity: The UN

WHO 

The United Nations

WHERE

Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

WHEN

April 9, 2018

WHAT

Bashar al-Assad's government attacked its own citizens by use of chemical weapons on April 7, 2018. Naturally, the next step to take is for the United Nations to appoint Syria as presiding chair over the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) starting May 28, 2018 through June 24, 2018.

WHY

I ask myself the same question. 

The presidency functions as an alphabetical rotation between its 65 member states, thus it is just a standard operating procedure and the post is ceremonial. Except, Syria has been involved in an ongoing civil war which has been steadily escalating since 2012. This war has killed 470,000 Syrians, injured 1 million, and among 12 million people - half of Syria's population - have either fled the country or been internally displaced. 

This is not the first time the UN has played a joke on us. In 2013, the United States and Canada boycotted the month-long conference after Iran took over. It looks like they may follow suit once more as United States top officials have stated that Syria is not qualified to serve as head of the CD.  

Ya think? 

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, a Geneva based non-governmental organisation puts it into perspective: "Having the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad preside over global chemical and nuclear weapons disarmament will be like putting a serial rapist in charge of a women’s shelter."

Below he also provides a quick summary of the United Nations leadership. Read at your own risk (of dying from laughter): 

In a parallel universe: ours.