Foreign Relations
United Nations Archive
AA09326
Crossette, Barbara US-UN TIES STILL STRAINED (The Nation, October 2, 2009)
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The Obama administration’s efforts to mend ties with the United Nations suffered with the UN’s firing of Peter Galbraith, the American diplomat appointed deputy special UN envoy to Afghanistan in March. The UN said he was fired “in the best interests” of the Afghan mission, but Galbraith had been berating Afghan and UN officials over what he saw as an inadequate response to the messy and fraud-plagued August 20 elections. He told BBC his being sacked “sends a terrible signal when the UN removes an official because he was concerned about fraud in an UN-sponsored and funded election.”
OBAMA ADDRESSES MORE POPULAR U.N.
Pew Global Attitudes Project. Richard Wike. September 21, 2009.
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In recent years, the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly has frequently produced controversy. But controversies aside, the United Nations remains a quite popular institution throughout much of the world. Indeed, its image has improved in many nations over the last couple of years. This is especially true in the United States, where attitudes toward the U.N. are more positive than they have been since early in this decade.
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THE ROLE OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Council on Foreign Relations. Rebecca Bloom and Lauren Vriens. September 17, 2009.
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At the 2009 UN General Assembly, the world's deliberative body opens its sixty-fourth annual session. UN reform, the international financial situation, disarmament, and diseases will likely loom large.
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AA09066
Schlesinger, Stephen BUSH’S STEALTH UNITED NATIONS POLICY (World Policy Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, Summer 2008, pp. 1-9)
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Schlesinger, adjunct fellow at the Century Foundation, reviews relations between the United States and the United Nations during the Bush administration. Bush established an official and ongoing relationship with the U.N. and delivered a speech at the opening session of each U.N. General Assembly. As the most important organ of the U.N., the Security Council determines what the U.N. will do on all peace and war issues. During the Bush era, the U.S. has been an active player on almost every Security Council proceeding and it has become a much-utilized tool in America’s diplomatic kit during the Bush administration. In the future, U.S. participation in the U.N. is likely to continue on the course that has been set by the Bush administration: American participation in the Security Council, continued U.S. funding of the U.N. and its agencies, and a strong American presence in the U.N. system.
AA08332
Abramowitz, Morton; Pickering, Thomas MAKING INTERVENTION WORK: IMPROVING THE UN’S ABILITY TO ACT (Foreign Affairs, Vol. 87, No. 5, September/October 2008, pp. 100-109)
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The United Nations must streamline its decision-making process, if the organization ever hopes to transform its ideals into actions, argue two former U.S. ambassadors. Grave crises in Burma and Sudan show that authoritarian leaders do not respond to international condemnation and that sanctions often have little impact on regime leaders. The authors point to UN reform reports underlining the importance of creating a UN “rapid reaction force,” closer coordination with nongovernmental humanitarian organizations, and more robust UN diplomacy. But while institutional change is essential, so too will be the daunting challenges of convincing China and Russia -- as well as skeptical legislators -- in the United States and Europe to take action.
UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL PROCEDURES: FACTS AND FIGURES 2007.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Web posted March 10, 2008.
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“Special procedures” is the name given to the mechanisms, such as Independent Experts or Special Rapporteurs, etc., established by the UN to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. The new brochure provides an overview of their activities for the year, such as country visits, thematic events, joint activities, reports, communications and press statements.
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WORLD PUBLICS FAVOR NEW POWERS FOR THE UN. Chicago Council on Global Affairs, WorldPublicOpinion.org. May 9, 2007.
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Public opinion around the world favors strengthening the UN, which includes giving “it the power to have its own peacekeeping forces, to regulate the international arms trade and to investigate human rights abuses.” The majority of those polled also favor giving the UN the authority to maintain a military force to prevent nuclear proliferation, genocide, and terrorism. However, most of those polled do not support UN decisions that go against countries’ preferences. The survey shows that international public opinion has solidified around the idea that the UN should be the vehicle used for conflict resolution and international cooperation.
UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION: OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY COULD BE STRENGTHENED BY FURTHER INSTITUTING INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES. U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO). Web posted June 18, 2007.
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Since 2005, the UN has tried to reform its management processes to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. Some of these reforms include improved oversight and accountability. GAO examined the audit offices for professional standards in audits and investigations. After its review, GAO offered recommendations to the U.S. Department of State and several UN organizations. Most of the organizations agreed to the recommendations, but several others expressed concerns.
DARFUR AND BEYOND: WHAT IS NEEDED TO PREVENT MASS ATROCITIES. Lee Feinstein. CSR No. 22, Council on Foreign Relations. January 2007.
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A year ago the 191 members of the United Nations endorsed a principle of “responsibility to protect” which means that the “mass atrocities that take place in one state are the concern of all states.” The author maintains that it is important for the new secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, to set clear mandates to implement this principle.
UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING: ISSUES FOR CONGRESS.
Marjorie Ann Browne. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated June 16, 2006.
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The role of the United Nations (UN) in facilitating dispute settlement and establishing peacekeeping operations to monitor cease-fires and participate in other duties as assigned by the U.N. Security Council, increased markedly in the late 1980s. Between April 1988 and April 1994, a total of 20 peacekeeping operations were set up, involving 16 different situations. Since May 1994, however, the pace of Council creation of new UN- controlled peacekeeping operations dropped noticeably. This occurred as a result of the U.S. decision, in Presidential Decision Directive 25 (PDD 25), signed May 1994, to follow strict criteria for determining its support for an operation. [See text of PDD 25 at: http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd25.htm
]. This U.S. decision was accompanied by a Security Council statement adopting similar criteria.
A major issue facing the United Nations, the United States, and Congress concerning United Nations peacekeeping is the extent to which the United Nations has the capacity to restore or keep the peace in the changing world environment. Associated with this issue, is the need for a reliable source of funding and other resources for improved efficiencies of operation.
For the U.S. Congress, major considerations on UN peacekeeping stem from executive branch commitments made in the UN Security Council. The concern with these commitments, made through votes in the Council, is the extent to which they bind the United States, both militarily and financially, to fund and to participate in some way in an operation. One discussion topic is the placing of U.S. military personnel under the control of foreign commanders.
UNITED NATIONS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM INDICATE THE NEED
TO STRENGTHEN UN INTERNAL CONTROLS AND OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES. REPORT TO
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES. [GAO-06-330]
United States General Accounting Office (GAO). April 25, 2006; Web-posted
May 10, 2006.
Report [pdf format, 75 pages]
In 1996, the United Nations (UN) Security Council and Iraq began the Oil for Food program to address Iraq's humanitarian situation after sanctions were imposed in 1990. More than $67 billion in oil revenue was obtained through the program, with $31 billion in humanitarian assistance delivered to Iraq.
The 2005 Defense Authorization Act mandated that GAO review the Oil for Food Program. GAO reviewed how the UN adhered to five key internal control standards in its stewardship of the program. GAO assessed (1) the program's control environment and (2) key elements of the other internal control standards. GAO also reported on the UN Compensation Commission's progress in paying reparations from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
GAO recommends that the Secretary of State and the Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the UN work with member states to encourage the Secretary General to (1) ensure that UN programs with considerable financial risk apply internationally accepted internal control standards and (2) strengthen internal controls throughout the UN, based on lessons from the Oil for Food program. State and the UN responded that they are taking steps to strengthen internal controls at the UN.
AA06021
Heaton, Paul OIL FOR WHAT? ILLICIT IRAQI OIL CONTRACTS AND THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL (Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 19, No. 4, Fall 2005, pp. 193-206)
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Heaton analyzes the Oil-for-Food program, which generated USD 64 billion in revenue over its lifetime, for correlation between illicit contracts for underpriced oil and pro-Hussein votes on the Security Council, as well as other support. He says his findings demonstrate a positive association between contracts and pro-Hussein votes, and Russia, France, Turkey, Italy and China received the highest value in total contracts. Further, he states, the timing of contracts given to a number of nations strongly suggests a connection between contract receipt and Security Council membership. Individuals also received contracts which appear to be tied to support, notes Heaton. For example, a U.S. businessman who financed Scott Ritter's anti-sanctions documentary received contracts for 7 million barrels. Despite these unfortunate abuses, he writes, a significant proportion of the Oil-for-Food program revenues generated humanitarian benefits. He says future economic sanctions need to be designed to ensure similar abuses cannot occur.
AA05194
Alleyne, Mark D. THE UNITED NATIONS' CELEBRITY DIPLOMACY (SAIS Review, Vol. 25, No. 1, Winter-Spring 2005, pp. 175-185)
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The participation of celebrities in international diplomacy is not a new phenomenon, according to Alleyne, associate director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center at the University of California Los Angeles. Secretary General Kofi Annan's recruitment of predominantly American celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Michael Douglas, and Elie Wiesel as 'U.N. Messengers of Peace,' is the most visible part of the organization's efforts to maintain its international credibility. But Alleyne argues that this celebrity diplomacy does little to address worldwide skepticism and increasing levels of hostility regarding the global role and functions of the sixty-year old body.
AA05176
TROUBLED MARRIAGE: THE UNITED STATES AND THE UN: INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR WILLIAM H. LUERS (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. vol. 6, no 1, Winter 2005, pp. 87-93)
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In this interview, Ambassador Luers, head of the United Nations Association of the United States, discusses the U.N.'s strengths, weaknesses, and role in the twenty-first century. Ambassador Luers argues that no other organization better symbolizes global cooperation and shared values than the sixty-nine year old institution headquartered in New York. He concedes that, as disagreements have risen on global issues, the effectiveness of the United Nations has been questioned. Many in the U.S. and specifically the second Bush administration remain unconvinced of the U.N.'s ability to successfully address pressing security questions. Recent circumstances in Iraq, Iran, and Darfur have exacerbated underlying tensions, resulting in the current strained relationship between the U.S. and the U.N.
AMERICAN INTERESTS AND UN REFORM: REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON THE UNITED NATIONS.
United States Institute of Peace (USIP). June 2005.
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Mandated by Congress, this report was issued by the bipartisan Task Force on the United Nations. The task force was organized by the United States Institute of Peace and led by Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and George Mitchell, former majority leader of the Senate. It focused on the United Nations from the perspective of American interests and America's international responsibilities.
The task force's report offers an actionable agenda for Congress to strengthen the United Nations. Its recommendations include:
- Addressing urgently needed internal UN management reform by: establishing a single, very senior official in charge of daily operations and filling the role of Chief Operating Officer; empowering the Secretary General to replace his or her top officials; creating an Independent Oversight Board that has the audit powers to prevent another scandal like Oil-for-Food.
- Action by the U.S. government to call upon the UN and its members to "affirm a responsibility of every sovereign government to protect its own citizenry and those within its borders from genocide, mass killing, and massive and sustained human rights violations."
- Abolition of the current UN Human Rights Commission, and establishment of a new Human Rights Council, ideally composed of democracies, and dedicated to monitoring, promoting, and enforcing human rights.