Congress has been concerned for decades that countries receiving American foreign aid often oppose U.S. initiatives and priorities in the United Nations. A State Department annual report, mandated by Congress since 1983, on the voting practices in the U.N. General Assembly shows that the vast majority of recipients of U.S. foreign assistance routinely oppose U.S.…
On Thursday, November 29, the United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote on elevating the U.N. status of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from permanent observer “entity” to “non-member state” permanent observer. Last year, the Obama Administration blocked the PA’s bid for full U.N. membership by threatening to use its Security Council veto and asserting that…
The Palestinians have announced their intent to use the United Nations once again to bolster their claims of statehood. Last year, the Obama Administration blocked their bid for full U.N. membership by threatening to use its Security Council veto. Now the Palestinians are seeking “non-member state” permanent observer status, which does not require Security Council…
The high-flying rhetoric in his speech aside, the most troubling part of President Barack Obama’s visit to the United Nations yesterday was his decision to forego meetings with other heads of state gathering at the General Assembly meeting. What a missed opportunity for tackling a wide array of world problems. For instance, it was just two weeks ago that the…
On September 25, President Obama will address the U.N. General Assembly. With anti-American protests continuing throughout the Islamic world and setbacks to key U.S. foreign policy goals, the President should deliver a strong, confident speech that reflects America’s determination to defend its interests and serve as a constructive force for good. President Obama…
The U.N. negotiating conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) ended on July 27 without reaching consensus on a treaty, but the ATT is far from dead. The conference was only one step in the process. When the U.N. General Assembly (GA) meets in September, it will have before it the report of the negotiating conference and the draft treaty text. The ATT’s proponents…
Abstract: This month the U.N. Committee on Contributions is meeting to review the U.N. scale of assessments, which apportions the expenses of the regular budget and, by extension, the peacekeeping budget. Under U.N. rules, the budget is passed by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, even if those countries pay only a small fraction of the expenses.…
Negotiations for a new U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) are supposed to be finalized in July 2012. Some of its supporters argue it would have no “impact on the ability of individuals within the United States to acquire and possess firearms.”[1] Even if this is true, it is not the only reason to be concerned about the treaty. But if the treaty comes before the Senate, its…
The effectiveness of the Administration’s “new era of engagement”[1] to build goodwill toward the U.S. at the U.N. based upon mutual respect and cooperation will be tested this week when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally requests U.N. membership for the Palestinian delegation. Despite intense U.S. diplomatic efforts, the Palestinian delegation…
My name is James Phillips, and I am the Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own and should not be construed as representing any official position of The Heritage Foundation. Since the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords, the U.S. has showered over $4 billion in bilateral aid…
The source and amounts of all U.S. funding to the myriad number of organizations affiliated with the United Nations are difficult to track accurately. This difficulty prompted Congress to pass legislation requiring the Administration to report annually on U.S. contributions to the U.N. A recent report to Congress by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on all U.S.…
U.S. contributions to the U.N. system reached a record level of $7.692 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2010—a staggering 21 percent increase over FY 2009.[1] This is the third consecutive year in which U.S. contributions set new records. The current budgetary crisis should focus congressional attention on whether increased funding for the U.N. is a priority, particularly…
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: Countries that receive U.S. foreign aid routinely oppose U.S. diplomatic initiatives and vote against the U.S. in the United Nations. While linking humanitarian and security aid to support of U.S. policy priorities would undermine the purposes and effect of that aid, the effectiveness of development aid in improving economic growth and development among…
This morning, by a vote of 154 nations in favor (including the United States), 23 abstentions, and three against (Syria,...…
A group of populist Latin American states—led by Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—hopes to reduce the role of an...…
In New York, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) conference is entering its final phase, and the ways in which the...…
[caption id="attachment_79602" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (L),...…
As the U.N. General Assembly meets this week, arms control and disarmament are likely to be hot topics on the agenda....…
Nearly two years into his first term, President Obama has sought a foreign policy that has restrained America’s role on...…
The United States elected 43 presidents before the current occupant graced the office with his presence. We fought, and...…
Earlier today, President Barack Obama addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. You can read the full...…