By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim
Saudi Arabia was one of the founding members of the United Nations in 1945. Since its establishment, Saudi Arabia has been one of the most active members and the one that paid its dues to the world body on time. I got my college degree from a New York institution, so I had many touring visits to the UN building. Some tour guides called it a matchbox because of its shape.Until a week ago, two things amazed me about the United Nations. The first one is that Switzerland despite not being a member of the United Nations has more influence in the world affairs than many powerful countries that are UN members (as observers). The second thing is that no resolution can pass without the American consent. But, now there is one more thing that caught me by surprise. It is Saudi Arabia’s decision to reject a two-year stint on the United Nations Security Council. But, was I really surprised? A few days before the decision, I had written an article in a Saudi daily (Al Yaum) titled, “Saudi Arabia’s message to the United Nations”. The article was published on Oct. 6 — two days after Saudi Arabia canceled its scheduled speech at the United Nations.
Many analysts who know Saudi Arabia knew the Saudi government wouldn’t adopt this approach for the sake of diplomacy unless there is something in the air. In other words, the Saudi cancellation of the speech was the tip of the iceberg. But, many would ask if Riyadh had intended to reject the seat why didn’t the Saudis withdraw their nomination before the election. The answer is simple — had the Saudis done so, many analysts would have said that Saudis were not sure of their win and they pulled out at the outset to save face, others would have commented that there were some demands by the Saudis that weren’t met or that the Saudis saw many impending UN moves which would not have been in its interest and it did not want to be part of it. Also, Saudi Arabia would not have been able to veto any UN resolution. The veto power rests with the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China. Also, earlier there were several messages from Saudi Arabia to the UN which apparently many think tanks and observers missed. Last February, the Saudi leadership expressed its dissatisfaction over the United Nations approach to many of the issues in the region.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman said it loud and clear that the United Nations had been unable to solve many of the humanitarian issues such as the crises in Syria and Myanmar.
To this day, analysts around the world are not sure if Saudi Arabia would reverse its decision. There are many countries especially in the Arab World that want to see Saudi Arabia become a member of the United Nations Security Council. Many Saudis were jubilant after Riyadh was offered a seat at the world body, but they have very high regard for the decision of the Saudi leadership that turned down the offer. Finally, Saudi Arabia which was (and still is) known for its approach toward major political issues became the first to deliver a direct message to the United Nations. World media handled the issue in different ways.
The question is, “Is Saudi Arabia the only country that is not satisfied with the way the United Nations is run?” In fact, many countries in the world are not satisfied.
Ironically, the most unsatisfied country is the United States, the country that has the greatest say in the UN’s decisions and resolutions.
It is true that the United States is the biggest contributor of funds to the world body, but the amount of money the United Nations generates for the city of New York is in billions. Members of the international missions spend billions of dollars for the Big Apple. And still the issue of funding between the United States and the UN crops up frequently. Several times the US Congress recommended non-payment of the American dues to the UN and many called for the United States to simply pull out of the United Nations saying that American influence in the world would remain the same without even being a member of the world body. In the past the United States notified the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that it would withdraw from the organization. Apart from UNESCO, the American absence from the world body could result in the collapse of this organization because it is the most influential country in the world and it is the only superpower after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Saudi Arabia has the right to ask for changes to the United Nations’ ways of doing business and has the right to suggest new ways. And may be the Saudi message to the United Nations is a positive step for the organization to adapt to new changes around the world. For example many people around the world see Germany and Canada as more influential and have better economy than the United Kingdom and Russia. Countries around the world have questioned the effectiveness to have only five countries in the Security Council with veto power. The year 2013 is different from 1945. The world now has more countries with strong economy and political clout such as Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, Italy, the Scandinavian countries and many others. And it is unfair for those countries to be part of an organization with no real say over important decisions. They need to have a say in an organization, which was established to save the world from wars and ensure peace and security. The fact, however, remains that this august body was not able to stop wars or atrocities and never implemented real peace in the world. Many countries and organizations around the world are not happy with the performance of the United Nations but, Saudi Arabia simply said it in the open. – Eurasia Review
