"The UN is pretty much useless, isn't it?" It's a commonly expressed opinion (especially by Americans) and was recently parroted by my own brother. What I said to him, and what I'd tell anyone is that you can't judge the UN solely by its inability to stop war. By that nearly impossible measure it has failed. But what's not recognized are the countless instances it has kept the peace among warring factions, or minimized the bloodshed and suffering once the shooting has stopped. The World leaders are gathered this week to deliver their keynote address to the world, but much of this is largely symbolic and for show. Yes, it's important to state and restate the ideals the UN strives for and make clear who is standing on the right side of history, but the real work happens once all the limos and men carrying machine guns patrolling the streets have left. Dozens of nearly anonymous agencies do the tedious, grinding work to protect women and children and displaced people and do all they can to hold the perpetrators of transgressive deeds to account. It helps many a lot of the time and fails others, but if you think about what a world without a UN would look like, it's kind of terrifying. Millions more would starve and be abused and left to the whims of dictators in the many pockets of the world where governments have abdicated responsibility at best or at worst are participating in the savagery. It keeps a torch burning for an ideal. Without that we would all be in a darker place.