UN hypocrisy rightfully challenged

Africa’s place in the United Nations system fails to reflect either the continent’s position in the internati-onal community or the body’s intended role. The accusation that the UN was hostage to "political feudalism" hurled at the Security Council last week may have come from eccentric quarters, but it is not far from the truth.

The UN Charter claims its 192 member states are equal. Yet it is run by a Security Council with five nations (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China) who can veto any UN decision. Last week, it was pointed out that in many of the 65 wars that have happened since the UN was formed, vetoes were used to prevent the rest of the world from stopping the wars. What equality is there between nations when a few have so much power?