Firm Resolve

The United Nations Security Council Monday passed unanimously its Resolution 2133.

In it, UN member states are urged not to pay ransom to terrorist groups who have kidnapped someone and who intend to use the money to finance terrorist operations. Private citizens or companies are also urged not to pay these ransoms.

Does this mean that if a group is just a plain old garden-variety criminal enterprise kidnapping people in order to pay  for a new supply of blackjacks or cement mix for overshoes, the UN says that's OK? How exactly will kidnappers certify themselves as regular organized crime instead of terrorists? "Sure, we broke a few legs and we burnt a couple of stores what was late on their protection fees, but we didn't aim for the violent overthrow of the government and established social order or eradication of the state of Israel." Does the group get a sticker from the U.S. Attorney General? "This seal affirms that the holder is a traditional criminal organization operating according to the standard principles of graft, corruption, extortion, money-laundering and prostitution but has no known affiliations with any politically active terrorist groups and would, if called upon by their government, unhesitatingly make such groups an offer they couldn't refuse." The current AG and staff seem to have difficulty keeping track of who are good guys and who are bad guys, so how well would they do differentiating between groups of bad guys?

The United States Ambassador to the UN and others say that this resolution takes aim at the "terrorist business model." Its author says that Resolution 2133 "breaks the cycle" of terrorists kidnapping people, getting paid ransoms which fund their operations and emboldened by that success repeat the formula.

Sure it does. Terrorist leaders across the world just threw up their hands and said, "Well, how are we supposed to raise money now? Our already illegal method for doing so was just targeted by a United Nations Resolution. You know guys, I'm OK with breaking the laws of a society I've declared the sworn enemy of everything I stand for, but what are we supposed to do against this?"

Everybody involved in the creation and writing of this resolution has, I believe, a good heart and a sincere desire to see things like kidnappings as well as terrorism come to an end. I don't mock that at all. But I do mock the idea that the United Nations has any kind of power to address those issues or that what little influence they can bring to bear is best brought out by a Security Council resolution. But then, when it comes to the UN the more accurate name for the neighborhood wherein resides its headquarters should probably be Mock Turtle Bay.