Although I've written a few articles critical of the United
Nations, I've never actually been inside the complex at Turtle
Bay. Thanks to a new feature film, "The Interpreter,"
which opens to day, viewers can now gain a glimpse of the
once-august center of international diplomacy. The movie is the
first with scenes filmed inside the General Assembly. Its
director, Sydney Pollack also was allowed to film scenes at the
Security Council, the back rooms, and the gardens of the United
Nations.
The chief U.N. spokesman, Shashi Tharoor, convinced
Secretary-General Annan to allow the filming because, as he told
a reporter from Reuters, "We felt it was going to get a lot
of people into the movie theaters to see things about the U.N.
who would not other wise have paid much attention to this
organization."
That's right, folks, no one's paying attention to the real United
Nations. Its laudable goal of promoting international cooperation
and achieving peace and security among nations is not get ting
much press these days.
Instead, of late we seem to be concentrating on its more sordid
side. Per haps you've heard of that little oil-for food scandal.
What did Mr. Annan know and when did he know it? How about that
French U.N. peacekeeping official Didier Bourguet, who's been
accused of running an Internet pedophile ring in the Congo? Then,
of course, there is the South African colonel who is accused of
molesting his male teenage translators, and let's not forget the
scores of underage girls impregnated by U.N soldiers who have
abandoned them Peacekeepers indeed.
Well, even if that isn't enough to raise some doubts about how
low the United Nations has sunk, just think about the
preposterousness of having a Human Rights Commission with the
likes of Sudan, Cuba, and Zimbabwe serving as members.
No wonder the United Nations' public image needed some
resuscitation The world body has a long history of turning down
requests to use the building for commercial endeavors, so one has
to wonder why it's being so accommodating now.
I had the pleasure of viewing "The Interpreter" at the
Universal Studios screening room. The pleasure, of course, was in
watching it free of charge. Unfortunately, no buttered popcorn
was offered.
The film is based on conflict in a fictional African nation
called Maboto, but the political situation could refer to the
ones at Rwanda, Sudan, and possibly Zimbabwe. I speak of
genocide.
In the film, the leader of Maboto is determined to come to the
United Nations to plead his case before the General Assembly. He
is about to be charged with genocide in the World Court, and he
wants to explain that he has acted in self-defense against
terrorists in his country.
That is when film buffs will call out at the screen, "Flaw
in the plot, flaw in the plot. "The idea that the real
United Nations will do anything about genocide in an African
nation is simply not believable, given recent U.N. history.
"Hotel Rwanda," a true story, is now out in DVD and VHS
formats, and I urge every American to rent or buy that film. Like
the HBO film "Sometimes in April," it describes the
1994 genocide in Rwanda, which took nearly 1 million lives in
just a few months - while the United Nations and the American
government stumbled over euphemisms for what was occurring there
- the same horror that is occurring still at Darfur in Sudan.
Both films reveal that the only thing the U.N. soldiers were good
for during those terrible months was to serve as escorts for the
evacuating Europeans.
At present, the Bush nominee for U.N. ambassador, John Bolton, is
being excoriated by the Democrats for having anger-management
issues. The most ridiculous allegations by former underlings are
being thrown at a candidate who may be perfect for this thankless
position. Actually, someone who will finally show outrage at this
effete, parasitic organization would be a godsend.
If the viewer suspends reality, "The Interpreter" is an
entertaining film because Nicole Kidman is a good actress and
believable, though Sean Penn is miscast as a Secret Service
agent. Mr. Penn was asked in a recent interview for Time magazine
if he would protect the president, and he answered, "Uh, I
would protect the Constitution."
Well, Sean, the Constitution's in danger only from a few Supreme
Court justices. Kevin Costner would have been a more credible
bodyguard.
I've concluded that the United Nations is a nice place to visit,
but I wish it didn't live here.