A Deadbeat Nation? An Analysis of the Causes of US Budget Arrears to the United Nations
Abstract
The United States played a pivotal role in the creation of the United Nations fifty years ago and has made the UN a central part of its national security strategy ever since. The Clinton administration in particular has increasingly relied on the offices and offerings of the UN to pursue its foreign policy. For example, the UN was essential in implementing the US policy toward Iraq, both in the destruction of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and in maintaining economic sanctions The UN also played a key role in the US strategy toward Haiti, Bosnia and Somalia. The US even used the UN and the threat of UN Security Council sanctions in its bilateral nuclear negotiations with North Korea. As such, it is not surprising that President Clinton has maintained that the UN performs an indispensable function. What may appear somewhat surprising is that the US is nearly one and a half billion dollars in arrears to the UN and these arrears, according to the Secretary General of the UN, have brought the UN to the brink of collapse.1 This is particularly odd considering the fact that the US acknowledges that dues to the UN are a freely accepted treaty obligation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA443818
Entities
People
- Warren M. Stern
Organizations
- National War College