The United States belongs to dozens of multilateral organizations, from large and well-known organizations such as NATO, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the United Nations to relatively small niche organizations such as the Universal Postal Union and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. The FY 2011 request for “Contributions to International Organizations” under the U.S. Department of State budget included line items for U.S. contributions to some fifty distinct international organizations and budgets. The decisions and policies of these organizations directly and indirectly impact U.S. foreign policy, security and commercial interests. The U.S. should use its influence in these organizations to ensure that American interests are protected.
The United Nations’ regular budget has grown reliably over the past six decades, with particularly sharp growth over the past decade. Last year seemed promising, as the initial U.N. regular budget for 2012–2013 was lower than the final expenditures for the previous biennial budget. However, that reduction was largely achieved through the negotiating gimmick of deferring…
Last fall, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted membership to the Palestinian Authority. It did so despite clear warnings from Washington that this would necessitate an immediate freeze on all U.S. funding to the agency. Subsequently, President Obama stopped all U.S. financial contributions to the organization as required…
Abstract: For years, the United Nations has retained surplus appropriations for closed peacekeeping operations and credits owed to the U.S. from the Tax Equalization Fund. U.N. financial rules and regulations state that the U.N. should “surrender” these funds (reimburse or credit them toward related assessments) after a specified period. Instead, the U.N. has retained…
For the African Union (AU) Commission, the election earlier this month of South Africa’s Home Affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as chair offers a chance to address issues that have hindered the organization’s image and its impact on the continent. The new leader should provide leadership in pressing the organization to respond more effectively to the…
On April 16, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth College, was elected as the next president of the World Bank. Kim, a physician with a background in public health, prevailed after an unusual race contested by two highly regarded economists from Nigeria and Colombia. Kim’s background raises plenty of questions regarding his suitability for the job and particularly his…
Abstract: Multilateral diplomacy is challenging. The dynamics are often more complex than bilateral negotiations because there are many more players. But while policies and venues may change, the role of diplomacy—to advance and promote the foreign policy objectives of the United States—is constant and does not change when the diplomacy is multilateral rather than…
Abstract: In defiance of U.N. financial rules and regulations, the U.N. has retained more than $200 million in unspent funding for closed peacekeeping missions. Instead of returning these funds to U.N. member states as required, the U.N. Secretary-General has used them as a slush fund to cover financial shortfalls in U.N. peacekeeping missions and the regular U.N. budget.…
Abstract: Multilateralism is not an end in itself. It is one of many foreign policy tools, admittedly a very important one, in the diplomatic kit. For the United States, multilateralism faces its greatest challenge at the United Nations, where the all-too-frequent clash of worldviews between liberty and authoritarian socialism has stymied multilateralism more than…
Abstract: The cause of the United States is the preservation of liberty, starting with its own. It is the most noble of callings, and U.S. leaders should never lose sight of this. The shortcomings of the U.N. system, particularly in arms control and disarmament, are increasingly focused, intentionally or unintentionally, on constraining our ability to defend…
There is a clear difference of opinion between people who believe in a national defense policy directed solely by the protection of U.S. security interests and others—sometimes referred to as “transnational progressives”—who believe that the United Nations Security Council and other elements of the “international community” should have an influence on U.S. decisions…
Few Americans are aware that agencies within the United Nations system are involved in a campaign to undermine the foundations of society--the two-parent married family, religions that espouse the primary importance of marriage and traditional sexual morality, and the legal and social structures that protect these institutions.1 Using the political cover…
The idea of establishing an international court to prosecute serious international crimes--war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide--has long held a special place in the hearts of human rights activists and those hoping to hold perpetrators of terrible crimes to account. In 1998, that idea became reality when the Rome Statute of the International Criminal…
The U.N.-administered Serbian province of Kosovo is expected to declare its independence from Belgrade within the next few days. The move to break away is strongly opposed by the Serbian regime as well as by Russia but is expected to gain the support of the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, and most major members of the European Union. Serbia has…
This week marks the anniversary of the tsunami disaster which struck large sections of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa on December 26, 2004. The tsunami claimed some 231,000 lives and displaced 2 million people. The disaster prompted an outpouring of humanitarian help from around the world, with an estimated total of $13.6 billion in aid pledged,…
Map 1: Countries Receiving World Bank Loans for 25 years or LongerTable 1: Economic Growth Rates of Recipients of World Bank Loans, Algeria - LesothoTable 1: Economic Growth Rates of Recipients if World Bank Loans, continued, Madagascar - ZambiaTable 2: How Long Term Recipients of World Bank Loans Rate on Economic FreedomTable 3: Economic Growth and Government…
On September 23, 2003, the World Bank Group and the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet in Dubai to discuss the work of their respective institutions in international monetary and development issues. This meeting would be worth its high expense if the discussion were centered on these institutions' own reform rather than on how they…
Produced by the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom(Delivered September 11, 2006) Sixty years ago, the United Nations was founded to maintain international peace and security, promote self-determination and basic human rights, and protect fundamental freedoms. Sadly, weaknesses in the organization have prevented it from fully realizing these high…
(Archived document, may contain errors) 12/10/84 68 UNESCO -TIME TO LEAVE I n December 1983, the United States served notice on the United Nations Educational, scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that it intended to leave that organization at the end of 1984. The time to implement that decision has now come. The reasons given for the…
The Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme (IIC) is due to release its interim report in February 2005. The committee was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in April 2004 following calls for a Security Council-backed inquiry into the Oil-for-Food scandal. The three-member inquiry is chaired by former Federal Reserve…
On July 17, 1998, a treaty creating a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, try, and punish individuals who violate certain international human rights norms1 was adopted at a United Nations-sponsored conference in Rome. The treaty was adopted over the objections of the U.S. delegation.2 The Clinton Administration rightly voted against the…
Abstract: Yet another EU treaty has gone into effect. This time, it is the Treaty of Lisbon. All sorts of tedious rule changes will result, adding yet more layers of bureaucracy and confusion to the behemoth that is the European Union. Why should Americans care? Because embedded in all the bureaucratese and muddle of regulations is the more insidious element of…
Russian law enforcement agents have conducted hundreds of unannounced searches of Russian non-governmental...…
China’s new president, Xi Jinping, will make his first official foreign visit to Russia this month. Xi’s decision to...…
While conservatives might be in a bit of a post-election funk, this is no time to compromise our principles—especially...…
You may be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the “holiday” established by the U.N. General Assembly to honor the...…
Libya. Egypt. Syria. Iran. Russia. China. America’s relations with the world aren’t looking too good. President Obama...…
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Friday that the Obama administration is pursuing restrictions on...…
The National Organization for Marriage is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute the...…
This week the U.S. State Department announced the launch of the Stakeholder Advisory Board for the Organization for...…
The 39-story United Nations headquarters stands on the banks of the East River in Manhattan. But now the U.N. is...…
Foreign aid as a development tool has been tried and found wanting. Decades of handouts from developed countries to...…
Distinguished Fellow
Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs