The UN “is ready to broaden its activity in support of Iraq,” according to Ban Ki-Moon.
However, the UN hopes to see increased security before it increases its presence in Iraq. Predictably, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki insists that security conditions have already improved.
Apparently, the UN is emphasizing the humanitarian aspects of its potential assistance in Iraq over any potential military commitment.
Mr Ban also said peace in Iraq could not be attained through military means alone and that regional cooperation was vital. The talks have also been focusing on improving the economy, development and security of Iraq, and on stabilising the political situation and ending sectarian strife.
How to deal with the humanitarian crisis is another key issue. There are more than two million Iraqi refugees who have fled the country, as well as two million who are displaced within Iraq.
Key economic powers like Germany and Japan; regional players like Saudi Arabia and Iran; and representatives from international economic organisations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have all been at the meeting at UN headquarters. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also attending.
The BBC concludes, somewhat dubiously, that the Bush administration would be eager for UN help. BBC correspondent Jonathon Marcus “says the US is desperate to reduce its military entanglement in Iraq, believing that regional countries have a role to play in reducing violence there.”
Certainly some in the United States feel that way - myself, for example. But to suggest that the Bush administration also feels that way is to overlook its repeated expressions of contempt for the UN, its hostile attitude toward many of the regional powers, and its defiant resolution to stay the course in Iraq.
What do you think? Could the UN do any good in Iraq? If so, what would that look like? The Seminal staff has privately wondered whether the UN is simply outmoded, and should be replaced by a stronger international body much as the League of Nations gave way, after its failure to prevent World War II, to the United Nations. Is the UN fundamentally incapable of dealing with major crises in the contemporary world? We intend to write a full post on the UN soon, but the UN’s eagerness to reinvolve itself in the Iraq quagmire is a good moment to start talking about all of these issues.
Any and all perspectives welcome.