With the level of violence rising virtually everywhere we look, it may seem quaint to remember that the United Nations was founded in 1945 to "save the world from the scourge of war." It hasn't succeeded; no institution, by itself, could. But the UN has made the world a better and safer place in many ways. If it is going to continue playing an important role in world politics, however, it has to be reformed. Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for sweeping reforms; a High Level Panel of distinguished folks from around the world have proposed 101 specific reforms; leaders from around the world will gather in New York in September to see what can be done.

But first up is Security Council reform. Old hands around the UN shake theirs heads when this subject comes up and say it will never happen. On the other hand, most observers agree that a UN in 2020 that does not have India, Brazil, or any African permanent membership with be a UN that is simply irrelevant to the world it exists in. But as they say in Maine, it appears "you can't get there from here."

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