
International Organizations and Treaties
Everything you need to know about America's work with international organizations.
The preeminent responsibility of the United States government is to defend and protect the American people and advance their interests and welfare domestically and abroad. Fulfilling this responsibility requires the United States to engage in a broad spectrum of bilateral and multilateral relationships, international organizations, and legal agreements and treaties. However, it is imperative that the United States understand that these relations are not an end but merely a means for securing the safety, prosperity, and opportunities of the American people.
Reconciling America’s interests with the varying efficacy of international organizations and treaties does not lend itself to a bumper sticker policy. The United States must be flexible in its approach. If the United States and other nations operate only multilaterally, they hand the spoilers the means to frustrate their efforts. Multilateralism is a tool, not an end in itself. America should be willing to work through international organizations and ratify international agreements to address genuinely shared concerns, but it must not be held hostage by an irrational adherence to these approaches, nor should it be shy about using the tools available to it—including withholding financial support—to bolster its efforts to reform these organizations and advance American interests.
Experts
Key Topics
Recent Interviews, Articles, Video
Brett Schaefer: American Leadership is Required in International Organizations
Benjamin Weinthal , Ben Evansky: Is the Biden Administration Seeking To Rejoin Controversial UN Agency Accused of Aiding Iran and North Korea
Sandra Grossman, Ted Bromund: Interpol’s New Leadership Demonstrates Lack of Will for Reform
Grace Melton: UN Expert Calls for Countries to Embrace Radical Gender Theory
Virginia Allen, Steven Groves: 3 Things to Know About Biden’s Trip to “Fantasy” COP26 Climate Summit
Grace Melton: U.N. Health Special Rapporteur Supports Abortion at Expense of Women’s Health
Brett Schaefer and Danielle Pletka: Does Joe Biden Really Want To Reform the U.N. Human Rights Council?
Brett Schaefer: Joe Biden’s Big U.N. Speech Tuesday Is Sure to Be a Disappointment
Brett Schaefer: What Happened to America’s Plan To Reform the United Nations?
Brett Schaefer and Danielle Pletka: Can the ICAO Recover After Chinese Stewardship?
Ted Bromund: America Must Lead Free World in Elections to Interpol Commission
Ted Bromund: What Americans Should Know About Interpol Abuse
Brett Schaefer and Mike Gonzalez: The Return of “Blame America First”
Brett Schaefer: Universal Periodic Review Reflects “Deficiencies” of Human Rights Council
Steven Groves: Have a Care for U.S. Sovereignty
Brett Schaefer and Morgan Lorraine Viña: Get More Americans Working at the United Nations
Brett Schaefer and Danielle Pletka: America Should Not Have Rejoined the Flawed United Nations Human Rights Council
Steven Groves: Key Treaties That Threaten American Sovereignty, Which the Senate Must Oppose During the Biden Presidency
Brett Schaefer: A Rash Decision to Rejoin the World Health Organization Before Securing Reforms
Emilie Kao, Brett Schaefer: Can Human Rights Be Rescued From Human Rights Activists’ Overreach?
Brett Schaefer: The Self-Assured Hubris of the World’s Human-Rights Abusers
James Carafano, James Phillips, Brett Schaefer: Time to Kill the Zombie Iran Nuclear Deal at U.N.
Brett Schaefer: How the U.S. Should Respond to UN’s Latest Anti-Israel Action
Brett Schaefer: 6 Upcoming U.N. Elections That Could Impact U.S. Interests
Ted Bromund: Landmines Should Be an Option for the U.S.
Video
Watch more on C-SPAN:
Brett Schaefer on the World Health Organization