The United Nations General Assembly, in its infinite wisdom, has just elected Iran to serve on the Committee for Program and Coordination, which helps shape the body’s priorities on everything from women’s rights and human rights to, yes, disarmament and counterterrorism. 

Iran received 144 votes in favor in a secret-ballot election.

To make matters worse, Western countries helped wave Iran’s nomination through months ago. 

Back in April, the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council nominated Iran for the position by consensus as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland and Switzerland all stayed silent when the chair invited members to speak. It was only the United States that spoke up and formally stood apart from Western consensus, calling Iran unfit to serve. 

Since April, the Western bloc also had ample time to rally opposition to Iran’s nomination and it failed to do so.

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These countries may not have publicly voted for Iran, but they let its nomination go through without much objection. In other words, their usual lack of backbone helped put a regime that abuses human rights and threatens peace in a position to shape how the UN addresses both.

It remains unclear what Iran plans to do in its position, but it is unlikely to be productive for the UN's goals. 

Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and executive director of the UN watchdog group UN Watch, blasted the vote on social media Wednesday.