Reform of UN is long overdue

New Coalition foreign affairs spokesman David Coleman was stating the bleeding obvious on Tuesday when he declared the UN has “immense room for improvement”, mainly putting that in the context of its dismal failure over the current Middle East crisis. With the new Trump administration similarly making clear its near total disenchantment, it is imperative that, as Mr Coleman pledged, Australia, if it gets a new Peter Dutton government, works for root-and-branch reform of the ramshackle and demonstrably ineffective world body.

The Gaza war has been a case study in which the UN has again shown itself to be utterly hopeless and helpless in a major crisis, and with Donald Trump’s coercive foreign policy (demonstrated dramatically by his swiftly complied with tariffs ultimatum to Colombia over migrants) taking hold, the UN looks even more irrelevant and out of touch with the new global reality. The Albanese government’s senseless up-ending of Australia’s longstanding, close ties with Israel and preoccupation with being seen to vote with the gormless anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian majority in the UN General Assembly has served only to put us in the unprecedented and self-defeating position of being seriously at odds with our once close, highly valued Middle East ally. The Trump administration has said it will work with allies to reform the UN and change its anti-Israel, pro-China and senseless woke bias. An end is needed to Australia’s support for the UN majority’s constant preoccupation with Israel’s alleged iniquities while it ignores the frequently far more egregious actions of countries with appalling human rights records that form part of that majority.

Foreign policy is seldom a decisive issue in elections in the world’s democracies, but after the past 15 months of controversy over Israel and the war it has been forced to fight for its survival against the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, as well as the grotesque anti-Semitism it has spawned in Australia, it would be unthinkable for foreign policy to be other than front and centre in the coming election. Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have what can, at best, be described as a highly contentious foreign policy record to defend, especially on our relationship with Israel and kowtowing to the pro-Palestinian UN majority. In taking over from Simon Birmingham, Mr Coleman has made a good start.

Australia needs strong leadership on foreign policy at a time when the Trump administration’s coercive actions are changing the face of global politics.