Originally Posted by Dilettante

I think you're wrong about the more effective bit. If the UN tried to switch to "one member - one vote", I suspect that the five veto-wielding nations (and probably quite a few others from the first world) would immediately withdraw their membership and refuse to acknowledge the UN's authority over them. That would seriously hamper the effectiveness of the UN.

The nations who pulled out would, of course, be acting in the best interests of their own people; that's their job. If they didn't, the little nations could (and likely would) initiate a rapid wealth redistribution initiative; after all, that would be in the best interests of their people.

Quite a few people have argued recently that Iraq is "not ready for democracy". They may be right, I'm not sure. But I'm absolutely CERTAIN that the world, as a whole, is not ready for democracy. Much of it isn't even democratic on the national level.