Re: UK/US in balkans (as the UN) and back to the GZGverse UN

>One interesting point that Alan brough up:
>
>The airport being occupied by Russian troops. As I understand it, the
Brits
>were ready to go with their tanks and Gurkhas and whatnot, and they got
a
>"STOP, WAIT 1" order from the UN command because for political reasons
it
>was expedient for the US to be the first force in.

Just so the UN doesn't bear the brunt of the criticism here, I believe
if
you check, the mission into Kosovo was a NATO operation, under UN
Auspices.
 The decision to hold back the British troops from reaching the airport
was
made by the NATO Supreme Commander (US General Wesley Clark) so that US
forces could get there first.  Perhaps he thought that would make for
better press domistically in the US, and thereby assuage the poor public
opinion regarding intervention by US ground troops...  Whatever the
reason,
it was most definately politically motivated meddling, and the British
commanders in the area, including the Kosovo operational commander (who
was
British also, if I remember correctly) were REALLY mad.

And they said so, loudly.  And rightly so.

>
>A good example of how politics interferes with military operations
under UN
>auspices. 

Or any auspices for that matter.

Politicians MUST exercise control over military forces (in Democracies,
anyway), but in a POLICY sense, and NOT operationally.	The list of
military campaigns lost by politicians despite their generals is long
and
sad.  Given that this has been a historical truism for several thousand
years now, I suspect it will continue into the future.	The GZGverse
would
contain plenty of examples of meddling politicians, and while others
seem
to see the UN as a major power player in Inner System politics, I wonder
if
it wouldn't perhaps be more of a patsy.  A few dedicated military
forces,
perhaps a few directly controlled UN territories from which revenue
could
be generated, but I would be surprised if the major powers allowed the
UN
to gain a position of REAL power.

I see the GZGverse UN forces as being highly professional, well
equipped,
and politically hamstrung - except perhaps once the KV invasion starts -
at
which point the UN would become a rallying point...  Maybe this is a bit
cynical, but the major powers could use the UN as the "fall guy" with
their
own citizens - "UN Leads Failed Counter Attack" if things go bad, or
"NAC
Fleet Leads Human Allies to Victory As UN Forces Counter Attack" if
things
go well...

As to the whole issue of "UN Citizenship":  perhaps for soldiers and
professionals, but for a whole population group?  If the UN became a
nation
with its own citizens, it would by necessity end up with National
concerns
and issues on the international stage.	How could it possibly excercise
nutrality and impartiality?  It would end up, like any nation, looking
out
for its people first.  The UN might control territory, like it does in
New
York and Geneva, and may directly administer disputed territories, but
sovereign territory from which it generates revenue?  That puts it into
direct competition with its member states.  Nationalized corporations in
the capitalist democracies now have constant battle to demonstrate that
they are competing fairly in the market place (unless they are a
monopoly),
and governments come under a lot of pressure from business interests to
avoid favouritism and biases in favour of gov't corporations.  Can you
imagine the craziness involved if you mixed international political
wrangling with that kind of thing?  The UN and its agencies would by
necessity be the final arbitrator of international commercial disputes. 
It
would have a hard time justifying a decision in favour of itself,  or in
developing commercial policies and trade treaties in areas that it
competed
in....

Anyway, that's my rambling $0.02....

>From the snowy blowing blistery north, I bid you all adieu.

Adrian Johnson
ajohnson@idirect.com