‘The New Republic’: Turner’s Problematic Gift

Ted Turner’s gift to the United Nations will finance many worthy causes but also sets a disturbing precedent, says The New Republic (January 26).

Under the United Nations Charter, the 185 member nations of the U.N. General Assembly should bear the full cost of U.N. activities to maintain world peace. “Excluding funding from all private corporations and individuals, no matter how nobly civic-minded, is the firewall that protects the U.N. from manipulation,” the magazine says.

Mr. Turner’s gift breaches that firewall, the magazine says. “The more the U.N. relies on private interests to bankroll its operations, the more it becomes a club for wealthy individuals, which is particularly scary once you consider that not every wealthy donor’s agenda will seem as benign as Turner’s does.”

Because Mr. Turner will distribute his gift over a decade, the magazine suggests, U.N. agencies may try to tailor their programs to win his continued approval. His influence might be as direct as insuring that U.N. food programs include bison meat — a decision likely to benefit Mr. Turner, who owns 12,000 head. And if he succeeds in helping to mold U.N. policy, the magazine adds, “it’s a safe bet other plutocrats will follow.”

For example, George Soros, the billionaire investor who has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the former Soviet bloc, is reported to be considering a donation to finance U.N. efforts to control illegal drugs. His approach would probably attack the problem from a health standpoint — perhaps through needle-exchange programs or similar measures — which some countries might feel pressured to adopt, albeit reluctantly, so as not to jeopardize other U.N. support.