Written by: Beck

Today's important United Nations member is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's the largest nation in Africa, and if John Kerry becomes president of the United States, they'll be one of the 200 or so decision makers at the UN who will be dictating your brand new, happier, friendlier foreign policy. If we're really lucky, they'll be dictating our domestic policy as well!

Here, have a look at some of the wonderful things going on in the DR of the Congo lately:

Fighters in Congo have raped at least 40,000 women and girls over the past six years yet the health system in the central African country can offer the victims little help, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Although war in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared over in 2003, fighting has continued sporadically in the east with some horrific rape cases occurring in June this year, according to the human rights group.

[...] All of the more than 20 groups involved in Congo's conflict had committed rape and sexual violence, it said in a statement.

As one example of many crimes, Amnesty cited testimony from the youngest of three sisters raped by up to 20 members of a faction which seized the eastern town of Bukavu in June.

"Jeanette was raped by seven soldiers in the storeroom, Francine by eight soldiers in the shop," 16-year-old Edith said.

Ah, those zany, fun loving Congolese!

Of course, you may be thinking, "But that nation can't possibly be important enough to have any sort of real influence on the United Nations and, by implication, American foreign policy under a Kerry administration." As the French would say, "au contraire," which translates to either, "on the contrary," or, "I surrender!" depending on context.

The DR of the Congo has all sorts of relevance in the United Nations. Just have a look at the committees of which it is a member:

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
The United Nations Refugee Committee (on the Executive Committee)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
International Atomic Energy Agency (You know, the people responsible for keeping states like North Korea and Iran from developing The Bomb).
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (Signatory Member)
International Labor Organization
Food & Agriculture Organization
World Health Organization
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
International Development Association
International Finance Corporation
Multinational Investment Guarantee Agency
International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes
International Monetary Fund
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Telecommunication Union

Yes, the United Nations really knows how to put the "bloated" in bloated rapacious bureaucracies. And the wonderful rapists bureaucrats of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are involved at every step of the way!