More rubbish at the United Nations

NOTHING illustrates the hypocrisy of imperialism better than the cynical use of the “human rights” gang at the United Nations to further imperialist attempts to isolate and sanction any country that stands in the way of the “new world order”.

This week the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran were singled out for alleged human rights abuses based on a hate campaign directed by the Americans and based on the dubious reports of defectors and agents of imperialism.

Russia, People’s China and Cuba made a principled stand against this gross interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. The imperialists mobilised their lackeys at the UN General Assembly to vote in favour of draft resolutions condemning the DPRK and Iran that will soon be referred to the UN Security Council. But those on the front-line against imperialism stood by Democratic Korea and Iran and an even larger number refused to be stampeded by the Americans and simply abstained.

Fewer than half of the 193 UN member-states on Tuesday upheld a resolution accusing Iran of serious violations of human rights. Seventy-eight countries, mainly Nato members and Israel, supported the resolution presented by Canada at the UN General Assembly Third Committee.

Thirty five states, including Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Egypt, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, China, the DPR Korea, Cuba and Lebanon, voted against the document. Another 69 countries abstained. Among them were Brazil, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The anti-DPRK resolution was passed with 111 votes in favour to 19 against and 55 abstentions.

UN General Assembly motions have no executive powers and they are routinely ignored when they go against the wishes of imperialism. Last month the General Assembly again voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending the blockade of Cuba by the United States. 188 countries voted in favour of the resolution and three abstentions, with only the United States and Israel voting against it.

Needless to say nothing came of it because the real power at the UN lies with the Security Council and the Big Five veto powers, which include Russia and China who will doubtless veto any attempt to impose new sanctions on Iran or the DPRK.

The leaders of the United States and the European Union of course have no real interest in human rights, which are abused every day in the heartlands of imperialism and by their lackeys and placemen who serve their interests across the world. The real purpose of this charade at the UN is to provide a “human rights” cover to justify imperialism’s hostile acts against anyone who stands in their way.

The imperialists want a puppet government in Ukraine as part of their plan to confront Russia. Iran’s efforts to develop its own independent nuclear energy resources threaten the imperialist monopoly on nuclear technology in the Third World. With the Arabs the imperialist motive is simply to control and plunder the vast oil reserves under their sands.

Palestinian Arabs have been waiting for over 60 years for their human rights to be recognised. The Iraqis, Libyans and Yugoslavs all fell prey to the imperialists who invaded their countries and overthrew their governments in the name of “human rights”. And the Syrians and the anti-fascist partisans in Novorossiya see today the duplicity of the imperialists and their apologists, who ignore their plight and elevate the rights of their reactionary and barbarous enemies.

Human rights are routinely abused in the neo-colonies ruled by feudal tyrants and petty dictators that do the bidding of Washington, London, Paris and Berlin for a share of the cut.

Human rights count for nothing in the metropolitan heartlands where workers live in abject poverty while millionaires flaunt their wealth like a badge of honour. The imperialists are the real abusers of human rights. They are the enemies of the entire human race.

New Worker editorial
21st November 2014