To the Point

Reforming the Security Council and the Future of the UN

At the United Nations today, there was not just one, but two proposals for enlarging the Security Council--evidence of how difficult it will be to make change. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who appointed the team of 16 politicians and diplomats to assess the greatest threats facing mankind and consider how they might be addressed by collective action, endorsed the findings. Yet, even before the impasse over Iraq and the failure to act in Sudan, there's been general agreement that the UN does not reflect the world as it is today. What about "terrorism," pre-emptive war, and the scandal over Iraq's Oil for Food program? What's the future of a body "where almost every big geopolitical rivalry in the world comes together?" We hear about the proposed overhaul from one of its architects, and the challenge of reforming the world body from journalists who cover the UN and international policy advocates. Making News: Israeli PM Sharon to Bring in Labor, Form Unity Government After losing a vote on the budget, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has dismissed his major coalition partner, saying he'll form a new alliance to include the opposition Labor Party. Amotz Asa-El, executive editor of the Jerusalem Post, has details on the Likud-Shinui rupture, the search to broaden the coalition, and how a new government might impact disengagement plans. Reporter's Notebook: Duchamp's Urinal Voted Most Influential Piece of Art In 1917, French artist Marcel Duchamp took a porcelain urinal, signed it "R. Mutt" and called it "The Fountain." He made it part of a New York art exhibition and announced that it was art because he said it was. Now, David Hockney and Charles Saatchi are among 500 British artists, dealers and critics who call it the 20th Century's "most influential" art work. Karen Wright, editor of Britain's Modern Painters magazine, has more on the shocking selection.