There's a famous psychological experiment where a drawing is presented to a subject, who either sees a toothless old woman or an attractive young lady. The United Nations is designed analogously. It will be attractive to us or ineffectual not on the basis of the infrastructure that it has put in place but on the basis of the mindset that its member countries--and their citizens--have towards it. On this UN Day, celebrate the global society, celebrate the ideals of peace and justice, and consider that all human beings, Palestinian, Israeli and every one else, have the same rights to lasting security and a just peace.
Rohan R. Gulrajani '02 is an engineering concentrator in Leverett House. His column appears on alternate Mondays.
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