The 39-story United Nations headquarters stands on the banks of the East River in Manhattan. But now the U.N. is planning the construction of a new building next door, with a price tag pegged at $400 million — and it could soar even higher. And since U.S. taxpayers pay 22 percent of the U.N. budget, the costs for that new building will come right out of your pocket, leading to a very serious question: Just how far should the United States go in supporting the U.N. and international organizations like it? The …
Ready to fork over some of your hard-earned dollars to help the United Nations construct a new building — and for New York City to build a new park? Well then you’re in luck. Heritage’s Brett Schaefer writes at National Review Online that the U.N. is erecting a new building next to its existing tower in Manhattan, on an existing playground. The U.N. hasn’t provided the Obama administration or Congress an official cost estimate for the project or a detailed justification of the need for the building, but Schaefer says earlier estimates pegged …
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former Defense Department official Dan Blumenthal have written an interesting and timely op-ed about China and the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). In “Time to Kill the Law of the Sea Treaty—Again,” the authors describe the duplicitous double game that China plays in the South China Sea by manipulating the provisions of LOST. China—which is a member of LOST—is interpreting the treaty’s provision on the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in a manner that prohibits lawful military surveillance activities conducted …
“Peace is hard”—this was the theme of President Obama’s speech September 21 at the U.N. General Assembly. The Obama Doctrine emphasizes the use of international treaties and organizations, soft power, modest attitudes in state-to-state relations, and a restrained America. As the Palestinian Authority requests U.N. membership, the failure of the President’s approach puts the strategic interests of the United States at risk, as well as those of Israel, the most important U.S. ally in the Middle East. The push for unilateral statehood at the U.N. not only violates Palestinian agreements …
The United States is scrambling to avoid a diplomatic crisis at the U.N. over a Palestinian statehood vote and a promised U.S. veto. As other countries try to find a way to defuse the crisis, Palestinian officials asked for U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood yesterday. How did it come to this? Heritage’s Kim Holmes contends that this is what happens when a U.S. President makes American leadership secondary to international consensus. President Obama and his Administration have sent out confusing messages about U.S. policy in the Middle East. In his …
President Barack Obama’s speech to the United Nations had more than a few elements of a domestic campaign stump speech. Indeed, after a few opening obligatory remarks about the history and ideals of the U.N., the President quickly launched into a detailed account of his record in office – ending the military operation in Iraq, transitioning more responsibility to Afghan authorities, and killing Osama bin Laden – clearly aimed at American voters. Even when the President moved on to highlight the accomplishments of the U.N. he did so in a …
Recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is scheduled to attend the U.N. General Assembly dialogues in New York this week. Noda will be the fourth Japanese prime minister in four consecutive years to attend the conference. A new prime minister has attended the dialogues every year since 2008, due to the high turnover rate of executive leaders in Japan. Although the primary purpose of Noda’s visit is to participate in the U.N. dialogues, Noda’s agenda also includes a separate meeting with President Obama, where they will have a chance …
Five years ago, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez woke up the somnolent delegates to the United Nations General Assembly with his rude and undiplomatic President George W Bush is the Devil speech. This week, when the General Assembly meets in New York City and the focus falls upon President Obama and other world leaders, Chavez will be absent. He is forced to skip the U.N. event in order to undergo a fourth round of cancer chemotherapy in Havana. His presence will not be missed. At the General Assembly, world leaders hope to …
Ratification of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) would jeopardize American security, rule of law, and prosperity, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said yesterday at Heritage. The junior senator from Utah — who is a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — addressed a packed auditorium on how specific articles of the UNCLOS are at odds with the U.S. Constitution and way of life. The treaty — adopted at the United Nations in 1982 — currently binds more than 160 countries, but not the …
On Friday, a suicide bomber launched an attack against the U.N. headquarters in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja. The Islamist sect Boko Haram (translated: “education is sinful”) has taken responsibility for the attack, which killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens. While Boko Haram’s attacks have escalated in recent months, Friday’s bombing was its boldest operation to date. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Boko Haram is a “local problem.” However, by attacking an international organization, the once-obscure sect has caught the attention of the foreign public. With …
