A UN that Lives Up to Its Founding Principles: The U.S. Agenda at the UN General Assembly

Publication Date: November 2005

Publisher: Hudson Institute

Author(s): Ernest Preeg; Mary C. FitzGerald; Charles Horner

Research Area: International relations

Type: Report

Abstract:

The United States is committed to the founding ideals of the United Nations. As President Bush said last year when he addressed the UN General Assembly, the founding documents of the U.S. and the UN “recognize a moral law that stands above men and nations, which must be defended and enforced by men and nations. And both point the way to peace, the peace that comes when all are free.” The United Nations should be a forum where diverse countries and cultures of the world work together for freedom, democracy, peace, human rights, and prosperity for all people. As we approach the convening of the 59th UN General Assembly, the UN faces many challenges in living up to these founding principles. Many nations do not support democratic governance or free market economy. Developing nations complain that their views are frequently ignored. Some nations note that their status in the UN is not commensurate with their substantial financial contributions