A good start: UN funding proposed to be cut by at least 50%

[Kev_Russell]

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/13/white-house-seeks-to-cut-billions-in-funding-for-united-nations/

State Department staffers have been instructed to seek cuts in excess of 50 percent in U.S. funding for U.N. programs, signaling an unprecedented retreat by President Donald Trump’s administration from international operations that keep the peace, provide vaccines for children, monitor rogue nuclear weapons programs, and promote peace talks from Syria to Yemen, according to three sources.

The push for such draconian measures comes as the White House is scheduled on Thursday to release its 2018 budget proposal, which is expected to include cuts of up to 37 percent for spending on the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign assistance programs, including the U.N., in next year’s budget. The United States spends about $10 billion a year on the United Nations.

It remains unclear whether the full extent of the steeper U.N. cuts will be reflected in the 2018 budget, which will be prepared by the White House Office of Management and Budget, or whether, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has proposed, the cuts would be phased in over the coming three years. One official close to the Trump administration said Tillerson has been given flexibility to decide how the cuts would be distributed.

I'd rather see funding cut 100%, but this works. I'd also like to see ALL FOREIGN AID completely cut too, but that's just crazy talk.

 

[Larry Gude]

Now that's interesting. Speaking only for myself but I think would be generally agreed up; you're a lefty and lefties love the UN. Why the apostasy?

 

[SamSpade]

If it weren't specifically for the humanitarian efforts the UN does - I'd scrap it altogether. It's not as though it's done a great job preserving peace in the post WW2 era.

 

[tommyjo]

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/13/white-house-seeks-to-cut-billions-in-funding-for-united-nations/



I'd rather see funding cut 100%, but this works. I'd also like to see ALL FOREIGN AID completely cut too, but that's just crazy talk.

Not just "crazy talk"...do you have any idea how stupid and ignorant your comments are?

Foreign aid is an incredibly tiny part of the US budget (I am talking about aid...not interventionist military actions). Aid promoted goodwill. Much of that money has strings tied to it that comes back to American companies...ex. your country wants money to build schools...fine...you have to buy the earthmovers from Cat or Deere.

We are the world's richest nation...it is incumbent upon us to help other countries in time of need or those who are reaching for democratic rule. It is what we aresupposed to be! It is the ideal we should hold ourselves up to.

 

[tommyjo]

Really? Has there been another World War?

 

[SamSpade]

We are the world's richest nation...it is incumbent upon us to help other countries in time of need or those who are reaching for democratic rule..

Not in the way we give foreign aid - at least, if you look at who the main recipients are. And how it is given.

 

[Larry Gude]

If it weren't specifically for the humanitarian efforts the UN does - I'd scrap it altogether. It's not as though it's done a great job preserving peace in the post WW2 era.

I am no fan of the UN however, it must be pointed out we've had no WWIII thus far. Could be in spite of, total coincidence or because of to some degree. WWI began because communications and protocols were too far behind technology. A UN of the day could have, possibly, prevented that one. WWII began because France and England did not want to honor the self determination commitments they'd made at Versailles. So, having a the precursor to the UN, the League of Nations, didn't mean much when the most powerful members abused it. So, in that context, it did fail to prevent war.

Enter the UN. For better and worse, it has it's own military power, unlike the LoN, and is more respected by the power members. So, has the work of it, often disparaged as weak and feckless and corrupt, has it still prevented smaller problems from becoming bigger ones?

There's a case to be made.

 

[SamSpade]

really? Has there been another world war?

*THAT* is your only measurement? It's not enough that *millions* have died in wars since WW2? Somehow, it can only be a world conflict to be relevant?

I'm hard pressed to think of a single conflict that was avoided because of UN intervention.

 

[Larry Gude]

*THAT* is your only measurement? It's not enough that *millions* have died in wars since WW2? Somehow, it can only be a world conflict to be relevant?

I'm hard pressed to think of a single conflict that was avoided because of UN intervention.

Their charter;

To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;

As I repeat, I'm no fan of the thing. However it must be examined and debated as to what was done, what should be done and what might have been the likely outcome absent it. Is millions dead better than 10's or 100's of millions? Is putting up with a bunch of annoying, pain in the ass and murderous little tin pot dictators who rape, rob and pillage better than a large scale world war? And does the In deserve some, a lot, none or ANY credit?

We can list things they've done wrong all day, including criminal actions like the oil scam run out of the UN with Saddam Hussein, but, again, what is the alternative and what might things have otherwise been like? Does the near universal condemnation of Israel and blaming them for everything act as a pressure relief valve? Would pursuit of a perfect UN become the enemy of the good or good enough UN?

 

[Hijinx]

I wonder how much of our foreign aid actually reaches the people it was intended for and how much of it goes into the pockets of third world dictators who get rich off it.

 

[Kev_Russell]

I wonder how much of our foreign aid actually reaches the people it was intended for and how much of it goes into the pockets of third world dictators who get rich off it.

Most of it goes into the pockets of the US MIC. So you're right, people are getting rich, but not the ones you suppose.

 

[Hijinx]

Most of it goes into the pockets of the US MIC. So you're right, people are getting rich, but not the ones you suppose.

Doesn't make much difference who gets rich. The point is the money doesn't do what it's supposed to be doing.

 

[GURPS]

We are the world's richest nation ...it is incumbent upon us to help other countries in time of need .....

no its not

we have people STARVING in this country ... help begins at home

 

[GURPS]

I wonder how much of our foreign aid actually reaches the people it was intended for .....

Somali .... UN sent troops in because Warlords were stealing all of the Aid - Food Stocks - that turned into a cluster #### of Epic Proportions when Bill Clinton decided to grab a warlord

unless you want to take over all of these #### hole countries ... stay the hell out - you only enrich despots in charge

 

[Merlin99]

Not just "crazy talk"...do you have any idea how stupid and ignorant your comments are?

Foreign aid is an incredibly tiny part of the US budget (I am talking about aid...not interventionist military actions). Aid promoted goodwill. Much of that money has strings tied to it that comes back to American companies...ex. your country wants money to build schools...fine...you have to buy the earthmovers from Cat or Deere.

We are the world's richest nation...it is incumbent upon us to help other countries in time of need or those who are reaching for democratic rule. It is what we aresupposed to be! It is the ideal we should hold ourselves up to.

Nothing is incumbent on us. Every time you dumbasses drag us into throwing money at another of your causes it comes back to bite us in the ass. It's time to cut them all loose to find a solution that works for them and quit trying to impose our solutions on them.

 

[Kev_Russell]

Doesn't make much difference who gets rich. The point is the money doesn't do what it's supposed to be doing.

Wrong. The money is doing precisely what it's supposed to be doing.

 

[kwillia]

So cutting the budget we pay by 1/2 would still leave us making the largest percentage of all other countries who participate... if each country bumps their contribution by less than 1% it more than makes up for what we cut... why wasn't this done a long time ago.... ?

2016 Contribution
(% of UN budget)


United States 22.000
Japan 9.680
China 7.921
Germany 6.389
France 4.859
United Kingdom 4.463
Brazil 3.823
Italy 3.748
Russia 3.088
Canada 2.921
Spain 2.443
Australia 2.337
South Korea 2.039
Netherlands 1.482
Mexico 1.435
Saudi Arabia 1.146
Switzerland 1.140

Other member states 19.086

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations

 

[Larry Gude]

Somali .... UN sent troops in because Warlords were stealing all of the Aid - Food Stocks - that turned into a cluster #### of Epic Proportions when Bill Clinton decided to grab a warlord

unless you want to take over all of these #### hole countries ... stay the hell out - you only enrich despots in charge

Time out; Who started that mess? Bush 41. He sent in the Marines to gain some control with ZERO plan for 'what then?' Seems to be a family trait. He dumped that one in Bubba's lap. Bubba made matters worse but you gotta keep in mind the beginning especially when it was so current.

 

[Gilligan]

Really? Has there been another World War?

Soon enough, short stuff, soon enough...

 

[This_person]

Time out; Who started that mess? Bush 41. He sent in the Marines to gain some control with ZERO plan for 'what then?' Seems to be a family trait. He dumped that one in Bubba's lap. Bubba made matters worse but you gotta keep in mind the beginning especially when it was so current.

Well, if you want to look at who started it, that would be Somalia.