House votes to withhold UN dues unless they reform

[samclemens]

i think the biggest problem is here is that many people are forgeting what the United Nations was designed to do. It's not designed to promote American causes around the world. You gotta take the good with the bad. If we start thinking that our opinions, goals, ideals, etc are more important than those of Europe, Asia, etc... we are in for some big problems.

 

ideally you are right. thats kinda niave (sp?) though. in reality, the point of our country sending an ambassador is to promote OUR interests. so, if you want a bumper sticker saying for it, "f*** everybody else". other countries have the same mentality. china, england, russia, blah blah blah.

[Balta1701]

ideally you are right. thats kinda niave (sp?) though. in reality, the point of our country sending an ambassador is to promote OUR interests. so, if you want a bumper sticker saying for it, "f*** everybody else". other countries have the same mentality. china, england, russia, blah blah blah.

The counter argument is that there are different ways to "Promote our interests", some of which may be more successful than others. This is the ol' carrot versus the stick debate.

 

Yes, sending a crazy man to advocate for our interests might work, in the sense that he'll be crazy in advocating for our interests. But, it could just as easily backfire, in the sense that if he advocates a more radical policy than that which our allies would support, it could very easily split us from the countries which should be allied with us. On the other hand, giving ground to get more countries on our side could do more good than staunchly refusing to negotiate. This is the game of international relations...there's no definitive answer to what method will work in certain circumstances.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

i think the biggest problem is here is that many people are forgeting what the United Nations was designed to do. It's not designed to promote American causes around the world. You gotta take the good with the bad. If we start thinking that our opinions, goals, ideals, etc are more important than those of Europe, Asia, etc... we are in for some big problems.

 

 

Its also not designed to frustrate American interests at every turn.

 

Its not designed to be a corrupt organization, the influence of which is for sale to whatever despot pays enough in bribes.

 

Its also not designed to be utterly hypocritical in its actions. Like claiming to be a champion of human rights around the globe and then putting states like Sudan, Syria and China in charge of it.

 

I agree that the UN is not a puppet of the US but its utterly impossible for us to get a fair shake the way things are now.

[southsider2k5]

Foreign Relations are important.

 

They sure are. All of the more reason to make the UN actually pay attention to what it was founded for, instead of functioning like the City of Chicago to see how much they can stuff in their own pockets at the expense of innocent people.

 

Using our influence within the United Nations to appoint new US friendly leadership sounds like bullying and arrogance to me. If we're a part of it, you damn well know they will push for their candidate. Whomever thay may be.

 

It just proves no matter what we do, someone will dislike our country. Withhold dues, it creates further divide. Lend a hand in appointing a successor to Annan and it's, "America deciding what's best for the world again.."

 

A part of me thinks we should just pull out entirely and let the rest of the world decide what they want to do.

 

i think the biggest problem is here is that many people are forgeting what the United Nations was designed to do. It's not designed to promote American causes around the world. You gotta take the good with the bad. If we start thinking that our opinions, goals, ideals, etc are more important than those of Europe, Asia, etc... we are in for some big problems.

 

You are exactly right. Except you forget that the UN hasn't exactly been focused on too many non-white goals as is anyway. How many Africians have died in the last 20 years while the UN fought over the language in its resolutions for something that should have been common sense? Ask the residents of the Darfur region if they think the UN has been doing what it was designed to do. Ask the Tutsis of Rwanda how effective the UN has been at fulfilling its charter. Ask the Kurds of Iraq how effective those UN resolutions were against the genocide with WMDs committed against them.

 

The UN has become a shell of its former self. It is a bureaucratic nightmare where completely disconnected politics are played over wording, while people are being murdered. The organization is rendering itself useless, and needs to be reformed. Passing a few more resolutions and shuffling around the crooks in charge isn't going to cut it. The UN needs to be woke up, and the US as by far its largest supporter has the ability to influence change. And in my honest opinion, if the UN isn't willing to change and remember who it is there for, I don't want the US being a part of the UN anyway.

[YASNY]

We can't pursue our interests in the UN, while footing a majority of the bill. But we can pay interest to China while they pursue their interests in the UN. No, I have no problem with that.

Edited February 21, 2006 by YASNY