Editorial ‘Fair World Order’

It would be tempting to imagine a world in which Ireland was a nuclear-tipped superpower. Perhaps the end of the Cold War might have had a taoiseach coining the memorable phrase "Fair World Order."

Instead, we had George Bush’s "New World Order," which looks anything but orderly at all. Still, it helps to coin a phrase if it points up a good idea and if that idea somehow takes root in the world.

Bertie’s Ahern’s address to the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York this week is entitled "A Fair World Order." It’s an idea that deserves the attention of a collective world ear.

If the United Nations accomplishes anything, it must be that the world tomorrow is a fairer place to more people than it is today. The idea of "fair" is, of course, itself open to debate. But most people in the world would roughly agree on what it means, and, given the turbulent history of the UN itself, rough agreement is perhaps all we can ever expect.

To further its steadily expanding world view, Ireland is seeking a rotating seat on the UN Security Council when it comes up for grabs next month. Ahern is expected to make a clear pitch for the seat during his summit speech. It would seem fair that Ireland gets a turn again on the council given that it’s been almost 20 years since Ireland last held the seat. Italy, Ireland’s primary rival, was on the council only four years ago. Fair’s fair.