U.S. v U.N.

The United States’ role in foreign policy and the United Nations has been, and will remain a vital part of the latter’s existence. According to Kim R. Holmes, Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, in a speech to the Baltimore Council of Foreign Affairs, states, “We pay 22% of its regular budget, and about 27% of its peacekeeping costs. On top of that, we give generously to support the work of UN agencies providing humanitarian relief, electoral assistance, food aid, and more.” The United States played a crucial role in the founding of this institution and remains one of its greatest supporters. With the most peacekeeping soldiers from the United States and a great majority of the financial and material support coming from this nation, the United Nations has become largely dependent on the United States and now unhealthily employs it as a crutch.

While it is commendable that the United States is aiding the United Nations, the UN is plagued with a multitude of problem, among which, high inefficiency. It has been established that a great number of Americans wish to increase support for foreign projects. Public desire for increasing aid to foreign nations, however, should not be the barometer one uses in deciding to send aid. It was discovered that the public tends to overestimate the amount of federal funds devoted to aiding foreign issues. Even when confronted with how much the actual budget is, the public continues to advocate for more foreign support. It was also discovered that emotions play an all-too significant role in wishing to send aid to certain counties. Hunger and poverty were placed on a pedestal when the public was asked which circumstances make it most allowable and acceptable for the United States to send aid. A far smaller percentage of Americans agreed that strategic influence was a sufficient enough reason for aid to be sent to foreign nations. And if this was necessary, a greater percentage of Americans agreed that aid should be sent multilaterally. To combat the United Nation’s inefficiency, the United States should partake in missions that would seem beneficial in the long run and are not ones in which immediate gratification is looking to be obtained. Not only would this effort help preserve the budget, it would also work to maintain and build the United Nation’s image as a multilateral police force wisely and meticulously working to solve the world’s problems.