Leave it to the Aussies

Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor), population 1,062,777 and falling, is a model for World-Government incompetence.

You would've thought that after several years of stewardship the UN would've been able to get a handle on a minute country like Timor-Leste.

Clearly not. Despite sending in 8,950 Blue Helmets (accompanied by a further 1,640 international police), armed gangs now rampage through the streets leading to the deployment of Australian troops in an effort to control the violence.

The UN even dispatched Sergio Veiera de Mello, considered by the BBC in 1999 to be a "rising star" (surely a plaudit any serious official wants to receive), to oversee the transition from occupation by Indonesia to independence.

So what went wrong? Basically the UN doesn't understand or like nation states. That's why they hate Israel. That's why their Secretary General is so enthusiastic about immigration. Put them and their internationalist bureaucrats in any nation building situation and they're likely to fail. Look at Haiti, look at Somalia.

It's only when an established nation state, with a clear interest in maintaining security and democracy in the region, steps in that problems are solved. Enter Australia. Clearly Tim0r-Leste is struggling right now so some sort of partnership and assistance-pact between the two nations is essential in helping Timor achieve some stability.

The Australians have received very little praise in the media for their positive contribution to this crisis. 1,800 may only be a small detachment but there's clear evidence that it's making a difference. According to the BBC they've;

managed to restore calm to some areas and disarm some gang members of spears, guns and machetes

Rich, democratic nations like Australia have a responsibility to look after less fortunate states. They should realise that they're far more likely to make a difference through targeted, specific assistance in a place they have interests in protecting. The kind of weltanschauung the UN endorses is utopian and unrealistic (especially if the UN lacks the balls to enforce it - Rwanda).

Of course some might call this imperalism. I call it common sense.