ABSTRACT
The United Nations Security Council has a legal as well as a political function. The new UN Democracy Fund proposed by President Bush helped fill a void within the United Nations by fostering vital civil societies through grants to non-governmental organizations. It is to the credit of the United Nations that it is revising the non-interference norm not just with a concern for extraordinary catastrophes, but with more steady efforts to nudge along democracy. If over time, however, the Community of Democracies proves suitable for particular functions with greater capacity or legitimacy than the United Nations, then the United States should welcome it. At a day-to-day level, diplomacy at the United Nations works like a legislature, with individual players (states) often developing their positions within blocs and caucuses. The United Nations is unique in its breadth, and the authors should work hard to make it earn more legitimacy and deliver better.
