WATERLOO, Ontario — As the United Nations General Assembly begins its annual session later this month, it will refuse once again to confront an issue where the denial of reality intersects with a negation of the world body's core values.
Article 4(2) of the U.N. Charter stipulates that membership in the international organization "is open to all peace-loving states that accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and are able and willing to carry out these obligations."
Anomalies were present from the start, including India being a founding member even though at the time it was still a British colony. The applications for membership of many countries, for example Japan, were caught in the crossfire of the Cold War and they joined a decade later, in some cases even later. The "peace-loving" qualification was never applied. The "able and willing to carry out obligations" requirement was considered briefly in the context of countries with population well under 1 million seeking membership.