So what if the UN lacks virtue? Update

It seems that Kofi Annan's son, Kojo, was paid $125K for his part in the UN Oil-for-Kickbacks scandal. I wrote recently that the UN's abject corruption is, in fact, average for a large unaccountable bureaucracy. When there is no accountability and competition, and you have humans involved, there can be only one ultiimate outcome.

Similarly, a centralized, bureaucratic boondoggle, such as the Oil-for-kickbacks program (or, say, the Big Dig, to pick an example closer to home) is absolutely ripe for the sort of corruption, nepotism, and graft that colours this (and probably all) UN "operations". The only rational response to Kofi's sone being involved is "how much of a cut did the father get?" and "who are the other family members?"

The failure of the UN to do other than enrich its high officials, low functionairies, and their families on the back of starving Iraqis raises the question of how useful sanctions are, how well they can be "managed", and what use are supra-national organizations at all.