U.N. needs to get around the bloc; A new alignment for freedom could help it realize original goals

Even before it was officially born, the U.N. was beset bytensions.

President Roosevelt floated the concept of a "United Nations"during World War II. It seemed achievable: After all, free countriessuch as the United States, Britain and Australia managed to setaside their differences with the Soviet Union long enough to defeatNazi Germany.

But once the war ended and the U.N. charter was ratified, theSoviets formed a bloc of communist countries and began opposingmeasures proposed by the free world. The U.N. General Assemblybecame a farce -- a debating society where little was accomplished.

Today, the Soviet Union is long gone, but the bloc system …