Like the UN, this product was designed to connect diverse points in a system. It has structural order. Like the Security Council, Microsoft created a no-go-zone they call "exclusive and proprietary rights" and use licensing like the Permanent Five's veto.

Like a personal computer, the UN system is part of our daily lives, sometimes directly on our desktops and on TV screens; often behind the scenes. There are many branches and authorities dealing with everyday events: Refugees left behind from long forgotten conflicts (in Kosovo, Ngorno-Karabakh and generations of Palestinians that do not have national passports); the development of far corners of the world; procuring safe drinking water (courtesy of UNDP); and educating millions. But lately, these organizations have begun to look like those rarely used computer functions hobblign on an unstable operating system.

On that note, Mr. Secretary General, I wonder what happened to the World Court -- the International Court of Justice, be it as a source of news for the rest of us or as a forum of redress to sort facts from hype (like junk mail)? I recall that this forum was meant to do more than just prosecute tyrants and Balkan murderers. And I wonder when was the last time the Secretary General carried out his duty and referred the legal structure of an international dispute to the ICJ? Why has the ICJ not enforced all Security Council resolutions (such as 242)?

You might consider another security system to defend your work. This may well be akin to an anti-virus program, to save the operating system from its own gaffs, function errors and short-comings. This might come handy on "Muscle Beach" and selective interpretation of Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter. This Chapter, like anti-trust laws and Microsoft, are for every body. Now, can you tell us how the UN can assure an even-handed application of these laws and rules without politicizing UN organs such as IAEA or selective interpretation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty or other UN conventions and treaties? And how do you propose to redress the wrong doings of Security Council permanent members when they launch attacks on another member without due authorization, and despite opposition of other permanent members?

Any way, Mr. Secretary General, you have joined a highway running on a system riddled with unstable files and functions that can either crash, miscalculate or generate violent errors . You might find it useful to call in the tech department and start revamping the system, root and branch. Patch therapy and "improvement" guidelines, be it detection tools in the post-colonial era, or disingenuous oil-for-fool programs, have long passed their useful life in this global village.

With respect and a wish for peace,

A citizen of the world, Ali Ettefagh