{"id":1948,"date":"2026-06-13T16:09:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2026-06-13T16:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:09:52","slug":"the-un-needs-an-extreme-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948","title":{"rendered":"The UN needs an extreme makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rarely has an institution founded on such noble ideals plunged to such lows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The United Nations, headquartered by Manhattan\u2019s East River, was established in 1945, in the wake of World War II, to prevent humanity from more cataclysmic conflicts. After two world wars claimed 100 million lives, the UN\u2019s founding members sought to replace the failed League of Nations with a functioning forum capable of resolving global disputes before they spiraled into catastrophe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more How President Trump \u2018utterly\u2019 defies age as he turns 80: \u2018I don\u2019t know where he gets the energy\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Eight decades later, that vision is under unprecedented strain. The UN today is beset by corruption scandals, dogged by questions about its relevance and saddled with a funding crisis so severe that the outgoing secretary-general, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, warned of \u201cimminent financial collapse\u201d and \u201ca race to bankruptcy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the past two years, I have worked inside the United Nations system. I have seen its failures up close, from UNRWA\u2019s shameful entanglement with Hamas in the Oct. 7 massacre to the secretary-general\u2019s weeks-long delay in responding to the Islamic Republic\u2019s slaughter of Iranian protesters in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The UN\u2019s failures are largely indicative of a sprawling bureaucracy that has grown bloated and inefficient.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet despite what I have seen, I do not believe the United Nations is beyond saving. What it faces now is an existential make-or-break moment. Either it dramatically reforms itself or continues its slide into irrelevance, and UN insiders agree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are putting the UN on a diet and we are pushing the institution to do less better instead of trying to be everything to everyone,\u201d US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told me in a phone interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As part of the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cMake the UN Great Again\u201d campaign, Waltz said the US \u2014 which contributes roughly a quarter of the UN\u2019s regular budget, more than what 180 member states pay in combined assessed dues \u2014 has pushed for sweeping cuts, including moving almost 3,000 bureaucrats out of the New York headquarters, as well as a 25% reduction in its peacekeeping personnel worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reversing such waste and redundancy were also what prompted President Trump to withdraw the United States earlier this year from several UN agencies, including UNESCO, the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of where you are on the climate debate, I think we can all agree that you don\u2019t need seven agencies, each with their own headquarters, staff and overhead focused on the climate issue,\u201d Waltz added.<\/p>\n

Read more Knicks\u2019 art pops up all over NYC as fans paint the city orange and blue during historic championship run<\/a><\/p>\n

But meaningful reform is not simply a matter of cutting budgets and reducing headcount. A veteran European journalist who covers the UN closely told me that it must also work expeditiously to restore its credibility. The UN can turn a corner, the journalist said, but it \u201cneeds a more decisive leader \u2014 one able to defend the UN charter, push back against paralysis and make the institution feel relevant again to the people it was created to serve.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The crisis of leadership is so palpable that every candidate vying to replace Guterres as the world\u2019s next top diplomat has felt compelled to acknowledge the UN\u2019s slip into dysfunction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust in the UN is waning,\u201d Rebeca Grynspan, the Costa Rican candidate hoping to become the first woman to lead the organization. \u201cToo many think the UN is absent from negotiations to end war\u2026and today the UN confronts a political, a legitimacy and an operational crisis.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and another leading candidate, similarly the UN\u2019s \u201ceffectiveness must be renewed\u2026The world needs a United Nations capable of responding to the real demands of our time, with impartiality and a results-oriented approach grounded in facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Their diagnosis is correct. The next secretary-general will inherit an institution facing waning public trust, mounting geopolitical divisions, chronic financial instability and growing skepticism from the very nations that fund it, which explains why the United States remains approximately $4 billion in arrears to the UN.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But crises can also breed opportunity.<\/p>\n

The United Nations was created because the world recognized that international cooperation, however imperfect, was preferable to chaos. That fundamental truth has not changed. What has changed is the UN\u2019s ability to adequately demonstrate that it can still fulfill that mission.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Harounoff, Israel\u2019s outgoing International Spokesperson to the United Nations, is the award-winning author of <\/em>\u201cUnveiled: Inside Iran\u2019s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more World Cup tourist gets hooked on American condiment she calls \u2018crack\u2019: \u2018Won\u2019t be able to live without it\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plagued by debt, corruption and questions of its own relevance, the beleaguered UN needs an overhaul to stay relevant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nThe UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Plagued by debt, corruption and questions of its own relevance, the beleaguered UN needs an overhaul to stay relevant.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"The UN needs an extreme makeover\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948\"},\"wordCount\":788,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948\",\"name\":\"The UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1948#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The UN needs an extreme makeover\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"Plagued by debt, corruption and questions of its own relevance, the beleaguered UN needs an overhaul to stay relevant.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"The UN needs an extreme makeover","datePublished":"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948"},"wordCount":788,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp","articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948","name":"The UN needs an extreme makeover - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-13T16:09:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7b5399608488638652f7f14c27e30c2e.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1948#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The UN needs an extreme makeover"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}