THE UNITED NATIONS: CHALLENGES AND CHANGE

OPTIONS FOR U.S. POLICY

Options in Brief

OPTION 1: UTILIZE THE UN TO PROTECT U.S. INTERESTS

The United States should not launch any grand crusade to save the world, but neither can we
afford to withdraw into a shell. The United States must never forgo its right to act as a sovereign
country. Yet it is in the interest of the United States to nurture relationships in the international
community, especially on matters of terrorism, immigration, and trade. The UN is an important
tool for advancing U.S. foreign policy interests. Though ultimately we are not tied to the
decisions or mandates of the UN, we should uphold our leadership role in the UN to promote
our interests in the organization and around the world.

OPTION 2: RECOMMIT THE UN TO ITS FOUNDING

PRINCIPLES

The problems of the world are interconnected and global in scale. In the face of transnational
threats such as terrorism, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, and nuclear proliferation, no
state, not even a superpower like the United States, can tackle these on its own. The
responsibility and authority for maintaining international security lies with no one state, but
with the community of states in the UN. The future of the United States and the world depends
on our ability to work together. We must deepen our commitment to international cooperation
by reforming the UN to make it more democratic and just.

OPTION 3: SCALE BACK THE UN

The challenges facing the world cannot all be solved by a central, global organization. We must
reduce the size and power of the UN and return primary authority to states’ governments. We
must recognize that the peace and stability of the world is best served by respecting the
principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our first loyalty is to the U.S. Constitution
and to U.S. citizens. If we overcommit ourselves abroad, we ignore the needs of U.S. citizens. We
also risk creating more resentment abroad and sacrificing our economic interests by sticking our
nose into problems around the world. Let us recall that our country’s founders sought to make
the United States a model for the world, not its police officer.
Option 1: Utilize the UN to Protect U.S.
Interests
The world is a tangle of shifting alliances and conflicting interests. The United States must
carefully choose where and how it gets involved. The United States should not launch any grand
crusade to save the world, but neither can we afford to withdraw into a shell. The United States
must never forgo its right to act as a sovereign country. Yet it is in the interest of the United
States to nurture relationships in the international community, especially on matters of
terrorism, immigration, and trade. The UN is an important tool for advancing U.S. foreign
policy interests. Though ultimately we are not tied to the decisions or mandates of the UN, we
should uphold our leadership role in the UN to promote our interests in the organization and
around the world.

We should approach UN reform with the interests of the United States as our first priority. The
United States must protect itself at home and involve itself abroad only when our interests are
directly affected, for example, when trade relations are threatened by war. We should not agree to
reforms that will entangle us in conflicts that do not affect us. By the same token, if the UN fails
to act on security matters of importance to the United States, we should not hesitate to act
independently. We would do well to lead UN reforms that would make the organization more
efficient. But it is unwise to support reforms to extend the UN’s mandate or change its structure
in ways that may compromise U.S. power in the organization. Others may dream of an
international system based on the goodwill of states, but the present-day realities require the
United States to look out for itself.

Option 1: Beliefs

OPTION 1 IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING BELIEFS

The UN can be a useful foreign policy tool, but it must not undermine U.S.
—
authority.

We should not expect the world’s leading powers to share a common set of
—
goals in addressing international conflicts.

As a major financial contributor and a key player in the founding of the UN, we
—
have a right to lead the organization.
Option 1: Policies

WHAT POLICIES SHOULD THE UNITED STATES PURSUE?

Security Council: We should defend our veto power on the Security Council
—
and oppose efforts to give new members the right to veto.

Peacekeeping: We should oppose the creation of a UN standby military force.

—
We should continue to fund UN peacekeeping, but avoid committing our
soldiers in these operations.

International Courts and Treaties: We should adhere to international treaties

—
only when it serves our interests and should not accept the jurisdiction of
international courts.

Human Rights: We should support the human rights efforts of the UN if they
—
do not conflict with our security and economic interests.

Aid and Development: We should not pour money into unrealistic UN

—
projects to end all human suffering, except in cases of strategic importance.

Option 1: From the Record

SUPPORTING VOICES

"As you know, Mr. Chairman, the United States and other major contributors have relied since
1986 on the assurance that key budgetary decisions in this Committee will be made on the basis
of consensus, and a definition of consensus should not include a decision that does not
command the support of the UN’s major contributors. I am appealing to you to work with us to
do better this time."

—Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. representative to the UN, December 16, 2013

"It’s not in our interests to go it alone. We respect our allies and must always seek to engage them
in military missions. At the same time, we must be willing to act when it is time to act. We
cannot concede the moral authority of our nation to multilateral debating societies. And when
our interests are threatened, American soldiers should be led by American commanders."
—Rick Perry, governor of Texas, August 29, 2011

"The UN should be used when and where we choose to use it to advance American national
interests, not to validate academic theories and abstract models. But the UN is only a tool, not a
theology. It is one of several options we have, and it is certainly not invariably the most
important one.”

—John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, 1997

"[A]merican policies will be determined by us, not by the United Nations."

—Bob Dole, former U.S. senator (R-KA), April 10, 1995

"[T]he United Nations works best when its member states and the United States work together.
This requires U.S. leadership. Not all countries may agree with everything the U.S. espouses."

—Kim R. Holmes, former assistant secretary, U.S. Bureau of International Organization Affairs,
April 2005

OPPOSING VOICES

"I have made it clear that even when America’s core interests are not directly threatened, we
stand ready to do our part to prevent mass atrocities and protect basic human rights. But we
cannot and should not bear that burden alone."

—President Barack Obama, September 24, 2013

"[T]he long-term legitimacy and viability of the United Nations Security Council depends on its
reflecting the world of the twenty-first century."

—Susan E. Rice, U.S. ambassador to the UN, February 19, 2009

"I will call for action to address underlying threats, promote development and protect the planet.
And I will urge leaders to rise above national interests for our collective future. We are capable of
this spirit of global citizenship."

—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, January 17, 2014

"This cannot solely be America’s endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone
in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone. We
have sought—in word and deed—a new era of engagement with the world. And now is the time
for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”
—President Barack Obama, September 23, 2009

"If the United Nations is unable to reform itself to meet the demands of the coming era, but
simply engages in an aimless repetition of detailed arguments in which each Member State
pursues its own interests, the confidence of the international community in the Organization
will be severely undermined."

—Keizo Obuchi, former minister of foreign affairs of Japan, September 23, 1997

Option 2: Recommit the UN to its Founding

Principles
The problems of the world are interconnected and global in scale. In the face of transnational
threats such as terrorism, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, and nuclear proliferation, no
state, not even a superpower like the United States, can tackle these on its own. A threat to one is
a threat to all. We see this in conflicts across the Middle East and Africa, where violence has
spilled across borders and millions of people have become refugees. The responsibility and
authority for maintaining international security lies with no one state, but with the community
of states in the UN. The UN Charter aimed to establish an international system in which states
cooperated to make the world more secure.

The future of the United States and the world depends on our ability to work together. We must
deepen our commitment to international cooperation by reforming the UN to make it more
democratic and just. In order for the UN to meet the challenges to international peace and
security successfully, it must give all member states a more equal voice in the UN’s decisions. A
UN that speaks for all its member states will have the capability to take action against genocide,
climate change, and terrorism.

Today, UN officials have been accused of corruption, and resolutions required for action against
imminent crises can take years to take effect. Such shortcomings hurt the UN’s credibility. We
must hold the UN to higher standards of accountability and take necessary measures to make
the organization more efficient in its work. We must exercise leadership to spur the UN into
action.

Option 2: Beliefs

OPTION 2 IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING BELIEFS

 The UN is the best-suited institution for addressing transnational challenges.
—
Maintaining global security is the only way to ensure national security.
—
The UN must be streamlined and held accountable when it fails to confront
—
global crises.

A more democratic UN can best address challenges to international peace and

—
security.

A country’s say in the UN should not be determined by the money it is able to

—
invest in the organization, or the

Option 2: Policies

WHAT POLICIES SHOULD THE UNITED STATES PURSUE?

Security Council: We should support the expansion of the Security Council

—
and aim to eliminate existing veto powers. We should support Security Council
efforts on pressing matters of international security.

Peacekeeping: We should support the creation of a standby military force so

—
that the UN can act quickly in the face of threats.

International Courts and Treaties: We should support international courts

—
and work with other countries to make and enforce international treaties.

Human Rights: We should back the work of the Human Rights Council in
—
order to strengthen the importance of human rights in international affairs.

Aid and Development: We should promote human welfare by increasing

—
funding and assistance to UN aid and development efforts.

Option 2: From the Record

SUPPORTING VOICES
"Ultimately, this is the international community that America seeks—one where nations do not
covet the land or resources of other nations, but one in which we carry out the founding purpose
of this institution and where we all take responsibility."

—President Barack Obama, September 24, 2013

"These challenges don’t respect international orders, whether it’s a global financial crisis or
climate change or transnational crime. And none of these problems can be solved by three or
four big countries sitting around a table. We need partnerships from large and small nations
alike."

—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, October 1, 2012

"[W]e all have a responsibility, a universally endowed responsibility, to ensure that a history of
violence is not going to be followed by a future of vengeance. The only way to properly honor the
millions of lives that have been lost is through peace, and the only way to achieve that [peace] is
for the United Nations... and all of the countries with the capacity to step up and help to show
the way forward."

—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, July 25, 2013

"It is especially urgent to reform the United Nations, adapting the organization to today’s
international realities.... For the UN is the sole forum where nobody feels excluded, the sole body
where all states, including small and middle sized countries, have their own voice and their own
say in solving global problems."

—José Socrates, former prime minister of Portugal, September 25, 2010

"[W]e must seek to remove, or at least as a first step restrict the use of, the veto power.
Democracy in the United Nations is a mockery if the voice of the majority is rendered
meaningless by the narrow interests of a dominant few."

—Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, former prime minister of Malaysia, September
1997

OPPOSING VOICES
"The UN was intended to advance human rights and international peace and security but has
continually failed to live up to its obligations.... This is why I have re-introduced the United
Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act.... [W]e should shift our contributions to
a voluntary basis. This change would allow the U.S. and other countries to choose what they
fund at the UN, incentivize UN entities to be more transparent...."

—U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), September 19, 2013

"Physicians have a motto that peacemakers would do well to adopt: ‘First, do no harm.’ Neither
the United States nor the United Nations have quite grasped this. Since the end of the Cold War
unleashed them to intervene in civil conflicts around the world, they have done reasonably well
in some cases, but in others they have unwittingly prolonged suffering where they meant to
relieve it."

—Richard K. Betts, director of the International Security Policy program at Columbia University’s
School of International and Public Affairs, 1994

"The internal affairs of one country can be solved only by the people of that country. The efforts
of the international community can only be helpful or supplementary."

—He Hongze, Chinese commentator, 1994

"[W]hat about a foreign policy of moderation—a foreign policy that argues that maybe we could
be somewhere some of the time?... I am convinced that we need a foreign policy that...works
within the confines of the Constitution and the realities of our fiscal crisis."

—Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), June 8, 2011

Option 3: Scale Back the UN

The challenges facing the world cannot all be solved by a central, global organization.
Developing strategic alliances can be important in some issues of our security, like world wars,
terrorism, and weapons proliferation. Remaining challenges, such as education, hunger, and
health care, are not the responsibility of the international community, but of individual
governments. The United Nations was designed to deal with cross-border conflicts. Since its
founding, the organization has increased its scope to the point where many see its authority as
overruling the authority of sovereign states. Its increased size has led to increases in corruption
and inefficiency. We must reduce the size and power of the UN and return primary authority to
states’ governments. We must recognize that the peace and stability of the world is best served by
respecting the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The United States needs to strike a new balance between international and domestic issues—a
balance that addresses the real security concerns of the U.S. public. Our first loyalty is to the U.S.
Constitution and to U.S. citizens. We must think of the safety and well-being of our people at
home. Addressing crime, poverty, and a poor education system should be our focus. If we
overcommit ourselves abroad, we ignore the needs of U.S. citizens. We also risk creating more
resentment abroad and sacrificing our economic interests by sticking our nose into problems
around the world. Let us recall that our country’s founders sought to make the United States a
model for the world, not its police officer.

Option 3: Beliefs

OPTION 3 IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING BELIEFS

The U.S. Constitution is the highest law of the United States.

—
The United States can only rely on itself to guarantee U.S. security.
—
Meddling in the affairs of other countries stirs anti-U.S. resentment in the
—
international community.

The UN is inefficient and corrupt.

—
Attempts to solve other peoples’ problems are a waste of money and human
—
resources.

The UN only makes poor countries reliant on outside aid.

—

Option 3: Policies

WHAT POLICIES SHOULD THE UNITED STATES PURSUE?

Security Council: We should retain our veto power on the Security Council,
—
but back away from our active role in initiating intervention.

Peacekeeping: We should not commit troops to peacekeeping missions unless

—
U.S. lives are in danger.
 International Courts and Treaties: We should avoid entangling ourselves in
—
unnecessary international treaties and keep our distance from international
courts.

Human Rights: We should oppose recommendations that intrude on a state’s

—
right to govern itself.

Aid and Development: We should reduce spending on foreign aid, and instead
—
pour our tax dollars into programs that benefit U.S. citizens.

Option 3: From the Record

SUPPORTING VOICES

"I’ve consistently fought against the United Nations’ efforts to overturn our constitutionally
protected freedoms, and my American Sovereignty Act...would end our struggle with the United
Nations once and for all. It’s time we get the U.S. out of the UN and the UN out of the U.S. I am
hopeful that my colleagues will take up this bill so that we can work towards strengthening our
nation and the principles it was founded upon."

—U.S. Representative Paul Broun (R-GA), October 22, 2013

"Ratifying the CRPD [UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] would endorse
an official ongoing role for the United Nations in evaluating virtually every aspect of American
life.... [I]t would impose this cost to American sovereignty and self-government with no concrete
benefit to Americans."

—U.S. Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), July 10, 2013

"[L]ast year, as our nation faced a struggling economy, skyrocketing deficits, and crushing debt,
the Obama Administration contributed 7.7 billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the UN—21
percent more than we contributed the year before. What did U.S. taxpayers get in return for all of
that money? We got a UN that is increasingly non-transparent, unaccountable, ineffective,
biased against the U.S., Israel, and other free democracies."

—U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), September 14, 2011

"The solution doesn’t lie in ‘more bureaucracy’…in creating new governmental and
supranational agencies, or in aiming at global governance of the world economy. On the
contrary, this is the time for international organizations, including the United Nations, to reduce
their expenditures, make their administrations thinner and leave the solutions to the
governments of the member states which are directly accountable to the citizens of their
countries."

—Václav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, September 25, 2010

OPPOSING VOICES

"We live in a world of imperfect choices. Different nations will not agree on the need for action
in every instance, and the principle of sovereignty is at the center of our international order. But
sovereignty cannot be...an excuse for the international community to turn a blind eye."

—President Barack Obama, September 24, 2013

"As we focus on these long-term foundations for prosperity and peace, the [UN] also faces an
overflowing inbox of conflicts and disasters of growing severity, frequency and complexity.
These will require much more from the international community—more political attention,
more resources, more support."

—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, January 10, 2014

"[T]he...doctrine of absolute and exclusive sovereignty no longer stands, and was in fact never so
absolute as it was conceived to be in theory. A major intellectual requirement of our time is to
rethink the question of sovereignty...to recognize that it may take more than one form and
perform more than one function."

—Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN secretary-general, 1992

"[T]wenty-first century challenges require a twenty-first century approach to foreign policy

where we build broad and diverse coalitions with states of every size from every region.... [O]ur
futures are inextricably linked...when one of us prospers, the chances for others...to prosper
increase. But when one falters, then everyone will be hurt."

—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, October 1, 2012

"Where else but at the [UN] can we deal with the truly global issues...? Given the nature of these
issues, unilateral, bilateral or even regional efforts are...not enough. Not even the most
prosperous and powerful nations on earth can successfully solve them alone."