It hasn't been dominating the news cycles recently, but far away from where you are now, the United Nations is planning a major overhaul of it's structures, processes and goals. This month will see a UN summit and the revelation of exactly what these overhauls will mean. But, before the ink has even dried on a single document, the blood-letting has begun.

Take the words of Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies:

"The Bush administration has declared war on the world. The 450 changes that Washington is demanding to the action agenda that will culminate at the September 2005 United Nations summit don't represent U.N. reform. They are a clear onslaught against any move that could strengthen the United Nations or international law."

A quick jaunt around the more obvious corners of the web doesn't bring much relief either. From the Guardian (May 21st 2005)

"The US Congress is on a collision course with the United Nations by threatening to cut its annual budget by tens of millions of pounds, which would disrupt its work on the ground.

Henry Hyde, the Republican chairman of the house international relations committee, is circulating an 80-page draft bill suggesting cuts to UN programmes congressmen regard as inefficient or worthless.

Republican senators have waged a long campaign against the UN, much of whose work they oppose on ideological grounds. Their case has been aided by recent scandals, ranging from sex abuse by UN peacekeepers in Africa to the mishandling of the Iraq oil for food programme."

Ewen MacAskill also gave this report last week, which outlines how the UK is now preparing to square off against the US over the proposed reforms to the UN and the possible fall-out of such a confrontation.

"Britain will join an international alliance to confront George Bush and salvage as much as possible of an ambitious plan to reshape the United Nations and tackle world poverty next week .

The head-to-head in New York on Monday comes after the revelation that the US administration is proposing wholesale changes to crucial parts of the biggest overhaul of the UN since it was founded more than 50 years ago."

More:

A declaration of War - by Phyllis Bennis (from Alternet)

The age of consent by George Monbiot