The Clinton Administration's Policy on Reforming Multilateral Peace Operations
Abstract
The following is a statement by Madeleine K. Albright, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, before the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs of the House Appropriation Committee, Washington, DC, May 5,1994. Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the subcommittee, I am pleased to be here this morning, along with my colleague, Assistant Secretary of State Doug Bennet, to discuss U.S. policy toward the UN and the Administration's budget request for fiscal year 1995. For purposes of time, I will confine my remarks to an issue of central importance to the Administration and of demonstrated interest to the Congress: the future of UN peacekeeping. Although this is an issue which appears to be constantly in the news, it raises fundamental questions that are anything but new. Today, we can look back at centuries of international efforts to deter conflict through a combination of force and law. Before the UN, there was the League of Nations; before that, the Congress of Vienna; before that, the Treaty of Westphalia; before that, medieval nonaggression pacts; and before that, the Athenian League. Obviously, no magic formula has been found. Today, some Americans see UN peacekeeping as a dangerous illusion. Others consider it the linchpin of world peace. The Clinton Administration has a more balanced view. We see UN peacekeeping as a contributor to, not the centerpiece of, our national security strategy. We see it as a way to defuse crises and prevent breaches of peace from turning into larger disasters. It lends global legitimacy to efforts to mediate disputes, demobilize armed factions, arrange cease-fires, and provide emergency relief. It reduces the likelihood of unwelcome interventions by regional powers. And it ensures a sharing of the costs and risks of maintaining world order. But for reasons that may be inherent in the institution, the UN has not yet demonstrated the ability to respond effectively when the risk
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA501448
Entities
People
- Anthony Lake
- Madeleine K. Albright
- Wesley Clark
Organizations
- Defense Security Cooperation Agency