The United Nations is a frustrating and often infuriating organisation. In its many different guises it can be indecisive, inefficient, slow-moving and bureaucratic. When crises clamour for simple solutions, the wheels of international diplomacy grind desperately slowly - and people die as a result. The reality, that simple solutions to complex conflicts are seldom available or effective, is hard to sell.

The human tragedy in Darfur is a classic example. According to Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, almost 2.3m people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid in Sudan's western province, and "chaos is looming as order is collapsing". That is the problem, but where is the solution? The UN Security Council is deadlocked over imposing sanctions on Sudan - a path that would anyway scarcely improve the lot of the 2.3m. Protection of the civilian population is being left to the impoverished members of the African Union.