Any fears for anything UN-ish in the US are of course by definition =
unfounded. The UN can act as an interfering force, usually only when =
the US wants it to. Superpower realities ensure that the UN is only =
used against others, never against oneself.
It should be added that as harmless, innocuous and "nice" as UNESCO was, =
it was the United States under adverse and chauvinistic administrations =
that decided to "do it in" and refused to pay its dues to this =
international educational, scientific and cultural organisation, and =
used strong-armed tactics to weaken and "neuter" it further. Unesco for =
Sannetters should be of a great deal of positive importance, since it =
has studies and advocated "rational use of the biosphere" long before =
any of us awakened to the environmental disasters and ecological issues. =
Unesco's Redneck detractors should not forget that during the harsh =
years of Eastern Europe, many of the scientists of the Eastern Block =
found a relatively safe haven to organise themselves for free scientific =
enquiry and discourse under the benign and constructive umbrella of =
Unesco, and, more specifically, of the Man and the Biosphere Programme. =
One such network, in the 1980s, covering most of the countries of =
Eastern Europe, and was precisely built around the topic of =
environmental planning and ecologically sound agriculture, and the =
conservation of natural resources and ecosystems in the face of state =
activities that were totally disregarding of environmental integrity and =
concern.
If anything could be done by Sannetters and other kind and concerned =
souls about reviving and getting back on track the MAB project in =
question, it would certainly be a small contribution to the welfare of =
the very people living in the area, and in the triumph of international =
solidarity for understanding and using wisely our natural heritage-- =
whether in the backwoods of the dominated societies or in the heart of =
the Superpower.