This may be the end

If, five years from now the world says the same things about Darfur that were said about Rwanda, I believe that the world will lose every last tiny shred of respect for - and belief in - the United Nations.

If the United Nations does nothing to stop the genocidal atrocities which are at this moment occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan, it will cease to exist - in any meaningful way - as an international organization dedicated to peace and human rights.

Let's understand what is happening:

-Nations with business ties to Sudan are preventing the U.N. from taking any action for fear that they could suffer economic harm.

-Islamic nations are preventing the U.N. from taking any action because they actually approve of the slaughter of non-muslims.

-The U.N. refuses to allow arms to get to the people of Darfur so that they can defend themselves. Instead, they obscenely pontificate that "small arms cause instability".

By my estimation the U.N. has less than two years. After that it will be too late for Darfur - and the U.N. If the U.N. fails to take action in Darfur while it continues to hamstring our efforts to defend ourselves and promote democracy, the United States will, I believe, have little choice but to withdraw from the U.N., expel it from New York and establish something like a league of democracies.

If that happens The United Nations will be an historical artifact - like the League of Nations - within ten years.

I hope the U.N. gets its act together, but that's not the way to bet.