So I found something I thought was intresting, from the CATO Institute:
Now I admit this is an older piece. But I think the article does raise some valid questions.Coupled with this piece, a snippet I will post:Executive Summary wrote:The United Nations is under increasing attack by critics in the United States and other countries. At the heart of the organization's mounting problems is an almost total lack of accountability, which gives rise to suspicions of wholesale corruption. Existing evidence indicates that corruption and mismanagement go beyond the routine fraud, waste, and abuse of resources that mark all public-sector enterprises.
UN budgets are shrouded in secrecy, and the actual performance of the myriad bureaucracies is translucent, if not opaque. There is no reliable way to determine whether the various and often competing specialized agencies (at least two dozen UN agencies are involved in food and agricultural policy) are doing their jobs, and many UN activities, even if they are of some value, can be carried out better and more efficiently by other groups. Other activities should not be undertaken at all.
Available evidence coupled with the United Nations' unwillingness to undergo a thorough audit raise serious questions about its mission and the means used to carry it out. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's rationale that the world body is accountable to all its 185 member-states is meaningless. Such an amorphous standard of accountability is akin to saying no one is responsible.
The United Nations is in dire need of reform, starting with a comprehensive, independent audit. Even if a complete audit were performed, however, there is no guarantee anything would be done about the problems identified. And radical change may not be possible, no matter how obvious the need. Given all the earlier, failed attempts to put things right, even on a limited basis, optimism about meaningful reform may be an exercise in wishful thinking.
So I want to kick this around a little, but I also want to know a few things from you:The U.S. government should
- withhold all payments to the United Nations until the new secretary-general demonstrates a commitment to reform;
- demand that the United Nations undergo a comprehensive audit and eliminate all programs and agencies that do not meet stringent criteria in terms of mission, organization, and performance;
- withhold all payments to the United Nations until such a comprehensive audit has been completed;
- announce that the United States will unilaterally reduce its contribution to the United Nations by 50 percent once current arrearages are paid in full; and
- pass legislation that prohibits the participation of U.S. troops in UN military operations
- Do you think the UN benefits your nation?
- Do you feel withdrawal by your nation state would hurt/harm it, or the UN?
- and finally any other thoughts or ideas.
We paid our bill, and while we may owe again, we are not alone.
