The Heritage Foundation's Brett Schaefer is seemingly apoplectic that the Obama administration would agree to a 1.2 to 1.7 percent increase in its dues payments to UN Peacekeeping. According to Schaefer this adds and additional $100 million a year to American contributions to UN Peacekeeping and means President Obama is "letting down" the American taxpayer.
The U.S. Interpol liaison office issued a statement last night explaining a recent executive order that grants Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, certain diplomatic privileges here in the United States.
The head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) briefed the Security Council yesterday. Neil MacFarquhar suggests that Eide may have been implicitely critical of the U.S. military surge in his remarks, which stressed the need for Afghan civilian capacity building. This is a snippet of what Eide told the Council. (Full remarks here.)
Senator Chris Dodd announced today that he will not be running for re-election as U.S. Senator from Connecticut. Dodd was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and in during his 30 year career on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he emerged as one of the more thoughtful voices of constructive U.S.
Somalia has long been one of the most dangerous places in the world for UN-affiliated aid workers. Beyond the general lawlessness of the place is the fact that one of the main insurgent groups, al Shabaab, has specificily targeted aid workers and UN agencies as enemies.
The U.S.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is mandating that airline passengers from a few countries will be selected for special screening. From the Washington Post:
It's been a little over a week since my last post on the crazed reaction to a mundane executive order issued by President Obama regarding certain diplomatic privileges that will be extended to the International Criminal Police Organization--Interpol.
I just saw this link on twitter – it’s old, but I thought it was a great end of year reflection: 60 Ways the UN Makes a Difference. In the midst of global financial crisis, climate change, and rapid globalization it’s easy to forget just how much the United Nations is part of our global history. Of the sixty ways, these are six of my favorite: