The United Nations has proven itself to be just another useless international bureaucracy.  The only proof you need are it's impotent positions on the post-Desert Storm resolutions imposed on the Iraqi regime and, hand-in-hand with it, the woefully inept handling of the Iraq oil-for-food program (we'll leave the bribery and sex scandals out of this answer).\n\nAs far as the military taking on too much,... I think it's probably best to leave that decision to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as they have vastly more experience than you or I in such matters...