text: "The United Nations is a corrupt institution of dictators and demagogues." This paints a distorted picture. The UN General Assembly is the sum of the world's governments (more accurately, their executive branches), and so has corrupt members. But the UN itself operates by a kind of one-state-one-vote democracy. The institution is better than much of its membership and often does irreplaceable work. It also shines a light on its members and is a beneficial influence on them. It needs to be improved, for instance with a strengthened link to the world's citizens through a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.