Identify an article on a recent development regarding the relationship between the U.S. & U.N. (e.g., tensions over global warming/climate change, peacekeeping missions, monies to sexual and reproductive health services…). Share the link with us, providing a summary of the situation.
According to the article by Zachary and Shendruk (2020), the United States is the largest and most influential donor to the United Nations. United States is the most potent contributor to the funding of U.N. budgets, where it paid for up to 25% of the entire budget. Besides, the more enormous contributions by the U.S. are made voluntarily. For many years, Congress has debated how much money the United States should contribute to the United Nations and whether that money is being used wisely and effectively. U.S. leaders’ views on U.N. spending have shifted dramatically in the past. At the same time, Congress provided more money to the United Nations than the Administration had asked for the vast majority of its agencies. The authors add that the U.S. paid 25 and 22 percent for peacekeeping and administrative budgets respectively to the U.N. in 2019. The Trump administration suspended all the fundings for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2017.
What is your take on the power and influence the United States has on issues taken on by the U.N.?
On the United Nations, I argue that solid nations don’t always make excellent multilateralists and that the United States is no exception. The United States of America’s relationship with the United Nations is a good example. Even if the United Nations become the world’s most powerful organization, the United States will not be bound by its rules. That’s why they’ve had such a tumultuous history together. When it comes to multilateralism, America has not yet been able to adapt to its new role in the United Nations or any other type of multilateralism. The U.S. exerts a lot of power and influence in U.N.’s operations in favor of the country’s foreign policy. The U.S. takes a dominance role in U.N. activities overshadowing other mombers of the institution.
How are other nations reacting to this situation between the U.S. and U.N.?
Different nations have varied reactions to the U.S. funding of the United Nations. For the third world countries which are struggling financially, the funding by the U.S. is a significant relief to them as it enables the U.N. to make humanitarian aid to them. The U.N. also works to keep the world safe and secure through fostering international collaboration and development. Third-world countries are still grappling with the U.N.’s twin peace and development priorities. However, other developed countries have different opinions as they think that the U.S. is investing too much money in the U.N. The article by Zachary and Shendruk (2020) indicates that China has increased its funding to the U.N. in recent years upto $1 billion for peacekeeping fund by 2015. China funded the U.N. with $1.7 billion in 2019 in a bid to neutralize U.S. dominance in the institution’s affairs.
Consider the world as an interdependent organism, as discussed in our PPT. What allows the U.N. to work together easily? What poses challenges? Consider the common purposes at play, social problems caused by globalization and glocalization, and the social capital involved in being a part of the U.N.
The United Nations can work efficiently through sufficient funding by the member countries. They strive to achieve a single goal and succeed when working as a unit as a team. As a member of the team, they demonstrate an appreciation for the contributions of others and an eagerness to learn from them. Priority is given to the needs of the group rather than the individual. The challenges of the United Nations include threats of poverty, global pandemics, global insecurity, and environmental degradation. The social purpose is to restore dignity to human life. Some social problems caused by globalization include loss of cultural identity and exploitation of foreign workers.
How do you feel about the role of the United States in the U.N.?
The United States (U.S.) seems to dominate in the affairs of the United Nations. The U.S. has been on record for using force to advance its political agenda violating international laws that prohibit the use of force. The U.S. resists most of the human rights accords and extends its control in several arm control treaties. The U.S. has also had beneficial roles to the U.N. such as helping in setting up the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.) to charge criminals. Besides that, the U.S. has been an active member in peacekeeping missions in many countries such as Somalia, Congo, and South Sudan.
What kind of role should the U.S. have, if any?
The United States should promote allied leadership in key organizations in the United Nations to tame the influence of rogue countries such as China and Russia (Schaefer, 2019). China and Russia seek to establish a world order with their increase in military and nuclear weaponry which are a threat to world peace and security. The United States should bring reforms to the United Nations to fulfill the goals listed in her charter among them alleviating the global humanitarian crisis, peacekeeping efforts in war-torn countries (United Nations, n.d.).
What kind of struggle does the U.S., or any nation, for that matter, face in its balance of self-reliance vs. interdependence?
The U.S. experiences struggles in balancing between depending on the U.N. and relying on its resources to advance its agenda. The U.N. has already set guidelines in its charters that every member of the organization should follow. However, the U.S. is torn between adhering to the regulations or overlooking them to fulfill its mission. The U.S. needs the U.N. to keep the world off dangerous weapons, to address the threat of rising countries like China and Russia, to address together climatic change among other global issues. On the other hand, the U.S. would like to rely on its resources without the help of the U.N. which they feel are for the national interests even though they contravene international laws set by the U.N.
Is the U.S. a technocratic-financial-managerial elite of sorts when it comes to the U.N.?
A report by the Congressional Research Service (2020) highlights that the U.S. is the single largest financial to the U.N. Because of the large amounts of funds, the U.S. contributes to the U.N., Congress has sought to influence how the organization distributes its funds to various agencies. The U.S. exercises a technocratic financial managerial mechanism to the UN. To influence how the institution uses its funds.
Is it approaching the U.N. as an oligarchy?
The United States approaches the United Nations as an oligarchy because it is the dominant force in the system and the most significant member of the organization. The U.S. is on record for helping the Security Council in creating tribunals to charge perpetrators of war crimes, it helped establish the International Criminal Court and is part of several arm control treaties indicating the American’s influence in controlling the U.N. operations. The U.S. opposes policies that hinder its global agenda such as its contempt on the law that prohibits the use of force against another state (Article 2/4 of the Charter). For example, the U.S. used force in unilateral interventions in Panama, Grenada, Vietnam, Bay of Pigs and Guatemala.
References
Congressional Research Services (2020). United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/IF10354.pdf
Schaefer, B. (2019). How the U.S. should Address Rising Chinese Influence in the United Nations. https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/report/how-the-us-should-address-rising-chinese-influence-the-united-nations
United Nations. (n.d.) History of the United Nations. https://www.un.org/un70/en/content/history/index.html
Zachary, R. & Shendruk, A. (2020). Funding the United Nations: What Impact Do U.S. Contributions Have on UN Agencies and Programs? Council on Foreign Relations.https://www.cfr.org/article/funding-united-nations-what-impact-do-us-contributions-have-un-agencies-and-programs
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