Amid the violence, a five-member U.N. team with expertise in politics, peacekeeping and mediation was on the ground in Syria, according to Eduardo del Buey, deputy spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general.

CNN: Syrian rebels move in on key Damascus neighborhood

But the congressional staffers who developed expertise in delving into the U.N. money maze are mostly gone from government.

FORBES: Keep An Eye On The U.N.

Thanks to Rihab Taha, a British-educated Iraqi biochemist, nicknamed Dr. Germ by the U.N. inspectors, Saddam still has the best biological expertise in the region.

CNN: What Saddam's got