US at Odds with UN

Since taking office, Trump has had a very turbulent relationship with almost all of the international organizations which we have been apart of. Prior to his election, he threatened to pull the US out of NATO if he was elected. Having been elected he has not pulled us out, but he has strained the relationships formed there since he refused to back Article 5 which has only been invoked once: post 9/11. He has angered Europe by pulling out of the Paris Accord and has stuck to his promise of America First.

It was only a matter of time before he butt-heads with the United Nations, and just that happened this morning. When Nikki Haley, Trump’s ambassador to the UN, got up to speak in front of the 47 members of the Human Rights Council she delivered an ultimatum, “The United States is looking very carefully at this council and our participation in it. We see some areas for significant strengthening.”

Since they have had the membership, the United States has kept a close eye on the organization and they believe that this council needs adjustment since they have not taken action where needed, and have placed the majority of their resolutions unfairly on the Israelis.

This stance is not new by any means and is simply reiterating the opinion of former President George W. Bush who shunned the organization back in 2006, only to have that ruling overturned by former President Obama in 2008. Both Trump and Bush have acknowledged that this organization has allowed for repressive regimes to continue their atrocities without any form condemning.

One nation that faced Haley’s wrath was Venezuela who has been under investigation for starvation and repression of their people. Going off another statement saying that membership to this board is a privilege, she also stated that, “Countries like Venezuela, Cuba, China, Burundi and Saudi Arabia occupy positions that obligate them to, in the words of the resolution that created the Human Rights Council, ‘uphold the highest standards’ of human rights.”

With these countries in mind, the United States outlined proposals that would make admission into this council more difficult. With a more difficult admissions process, the hope is for there to be more meaningful action, instead of improper action which discredits the entire institution. If it continues on the path that it is on, Haley suggests that it could become as discredited as its predecessor, the Commission Human Rights.

Even with all of this harsh criticism, the United States does not want to leave the council, instead, they want to better it since the believe that it can still be saved.

These statements have stirred up some criticisms from different sources. One such individual is the director of American Civil Liberties Union’s Human Rights Program, Jamil Dakwar, who said: “It’s hard to take Ambassador Haley seriously on U.S. support for human rights in light of Trump administration actions like the Muslim ban and immigration crackdowns.”

The Jordanian ambassador to the UN criticized the United States’ biggest ally at this point, Israel when he said, “it is also undeniable that today, the Palestinian people mark a half-century of deep suffering under an occupation imposed by military force.”

Haley hoped to accomplish two goals today: 1) to begin fixing this organization, and 2) to stop the unfair treatment of Israel by this council. She was astounded when saying, “It’s hard to accept that this Council has never considered a resolution on Venezuela, and yet it adopted five biased resolutions in March against a single country, Israel,” and Jordanian Ambassador Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein remarks were in direct conflict with this second goal.

Later this morning Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon responded to Zeid, saying how Israel is, “looking forward to working with the U.S. to enact real reforms and put an end to this most absurd chapter in the history of the U.N.”

Withdrawal from this council would be a symbolic solution to a real problem, and one that would place the United States in a worse position then they are already in. Even though they were acting in their best interest by pulling out of the Paris Accord, they upset many of the world powers. For the time being, remaining a member of this organization will allow the United States to guide the change that needs to happen.