The U.N. is the Real Comedy Central

On Monday, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Khazaii said that Iran is prepared to help Syria become more democratic:

“The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has said that Iran is ready to play a constructive role in any peaceful process led by the Syrians which would help the country become more democratic.

Ambassador Mohammad Khazaii made the remarks on Monday during a speech at a session of the UN General Assembly on the human rights situation in Syria.”

The U.N. is probably the only place in the world where that kind of nonsense is taken seriously.  It’s ludicrous to believe that Iran could help any nation become more democratic.  Iran is currently involved in a global campaign to harm Israelis; Iran has declared war on Israel and Jewish people; Iran engineered recent terrorist bombings in Bangkok, Thailand; Iran is supplying weapons to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad so he can kill his people; Iran is supplying weapons to Hezbollah, a terrorist organization; Iran funds insurgents in Iraq; Iran disrupted internet access to its own citizens before parliamentary elections; Iran seeks to control the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway; Iran tries to intimidate U.S. Navy personnel who are sailing their ships through the Strait of Hormuz; Iran simultaneously is trying to develop nuclear weapons and promising to “wipe Israel off the map”; and Iran butchers its own people when they rise up in protest.

If Mohammed Khazaii were a stand-up comedian and the U.N. General Assembly were a theater, I would expect the auditorium to ring with laughter at a suggestion like that, but he’s not a comedian and the U.N. isn’t Saturday Night Live.   On second thought, maybe the U.N. is the real Comedy Central.  After all, the list of U.N. Human Rights Council member states includes Saudi Arabia, China, Nigeria, Uganda, Maldives, Pakistan, and until just recently Libya.  If that’s not comical, I don’t know what is.

Neil Snyder is a chaired professor emeritus at the University of Virginia.  His blog, SnyderTalk.com, is posted daily.