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Congress overreacts to a snub by the United Nations
Monday, May 14, 2001
The loss of American representation on the United Nation's Human Rights Commission was an exercise in hypocrisy and comeuppance that is bad for human rights and a blow to United States prestige and ego.
The commission no longer includes the United States and its powerful voice for human rights around the world, but it continues to number among its members some of the most abusive regimes on Earth.
But threatening to withhold U.S. dues to the world organization is exactly the wrong response to this situation. So of course, that's what the House of Representatives did. Let's hope the Senate will exercise more restraint.
Because the United States has resorted to this I'm-taking-my-ball-and-going-home approach to diplomacy in the past, America is already far behind in its dues payments. In fact, it has just been getting back on track under an agreement hammered out by former U.S. envoy to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke.
Now the House has voted to add additional conditions to the repayment schedule, agreeing to ante up this year but promising to withhold next year's $244 million installment unless the United States regains its seat on the Human Rights Commission.
The anger is justified, but the disdain demonstrated for the multilateral democratic process is precisely the kind of behavior that helps fuel anti-American resentment, and which led, at least in part, to the United States being booted off the board it had served on since its inception in 1948.
Certainly, different countries acted on different agendas and responded to different motivations to get to the same pass.
For some like China, Cuba and Sudan, it was America's strong voice for human rights that nettled. For allies in Europe, it was America's increasing penchant for unilateral action with little interest in or regard for the views of other nations. Decisions to withdraw from the international accord on climate change and to pursue a missile shield are the most recent examples of a long-standing and growing trend.
The fact that the Bush administration has yet to formally nominate an ambassador to the United Nations made it much more difficult for the United States to monitor and control the growing resentment and head off the offensive and offending action.
But the key is not to give up on international forums and the good work they do, or to play bully on the block, or to still the American voice on crucial issues of human rights. It is not to worsen an already prickly relationship with allies.
The best response is demonstrate dignity and fair-mindedness and to realize that even as the world's sole superpower, we absolutely cannot go it alone.