Today, President Trump will address the UN General Assembly.
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Trump → address → Assembly
As New Yorkers fume over traffic nightmares created by the president and by hordes of visiting diplomats, they may (again) question, as do many Americans, why U.S. taxpayers support this badly managed and scandal-scarred institution.
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taxpayers → fume → institution
Especially when the UN so frequently works against our interests and seems incapable of accomplishing its primary mission.
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UN → work → mission
A new Gallup poll shows that 73% of Americans think the UN does a poor job of "maintaining international peace and security" and 70% say the same about the UN "upholding international law" and "protecting human rights."
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UN → show → rights
That’s a lousy report card for an organization that spends roughly $70 billion per year.
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that → ’ → year
Elsewhere in the world, the UN scores better, which is not surprising since poor countries, which constitute the majority of members, look to wealthier nations for handouts via the UN.
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which → score → UN
The nations of Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, are especially keen on the sprawling organization.
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nations → sprawl → organization
How does that wealth transfer happen?
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transfer → happen → ?
One way was described by President Trump’s UN Ambassador Mike Waltz in recent testimony before Congress: "The UN let countries use peacekeeping missions as cash cows for their militaries.
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countries → describe → militaries
Peacekeepers could bring equipment, park it, never use it, take it home brand new, and get it paid for by the UN."
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it → bring → UN
Those operations can employ "10,000 to 18,000 soldiers"; the costs, Walz says, are "quite significant".
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Walz → employ → soldiers
He is ending that practice — just one step in reforming the bloated UN, whose budget has quadrupled over the past 25 years.
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budget → end → years
Americans have reason for skepticism, given the frequent votes that go against the U.S. or our ally Israel.
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that → have → U.S.
For thirty-three years in a row, the General Assembly has voted to end our embargo on Cuba, and for decades it has opposed Israel’s attempts to protects its citizens from Palestinian terrorists.
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it → vote → terrorists
Waltz calls the body a "cesspool of antisemitism."
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Waltz → call → antisemitism
Most recently, the UN voted overwhelmingly to adopt a new map which blows up Africa’s presence on the globe; the US was the sole dissenter.
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US → vote → globe
In a memo explaining our outlier vote, Deputy U.S. Representative Yaryna Ferencevych called such resolutions "barnacles on our work here" and wrote: "Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace… this body is debating map projects from the 16th century, and their role in promoting reparations and "cognitive justice."
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body → explain → reparations
The UN rarely has much real-world impact.
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UN → have → impact
Critics might question, for instance, what the UN has done to resolve the Russia-Ukraine War, or how it has helped keep the world’s oil flowing through the Straits of Hormuz.
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oil → question → Hormuz
Instead, the UN is hyper-focused on climate change, gender equality and other issues that may scratch a globalist itch, but appear little related to the cause of peace.
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that → scratch → peace
Meanwhile, the UN is going broke.
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UN → go → ?
Last year the Economist reported: "On May 5th the UN will brief members on a previously unreported $600m (17%) cut to its $3.7bn [administrative] budget aimed at avoiding default this year.
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UN → report → default
It will include a hiring freeze…
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It → include → freeze
A combination of deadbeat members and mad budget rules have led to a liquidity crisis."
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combination → lead → crisis
The article goes on to warn that a "leaked memo" suggesting that the Trump administration might cut off funding to the UN threatened "a financial crash in the citadel of peace and security."
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administration → go → peace
The Trump White House has not bankrupted the UN by withholding payments.
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House → bankrupt → payments
Instead, it appointed Waltz to drive much-needed reforms and who is, according to Politico, "generally well-regarded, including among many Democrats on Capitol Hill".
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who → appoint → Hill
That’s rare praise for a Trump appointee.
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That → ’ → appointee
Walz is working to downsize the bloated UN, focusing on its staff of 100,000 — individuals who are paid roughly 17% more than equivalent U.S. civil servants, according to Walz.
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who → work → Walz
According to testimony he gave to Congress a few months ago, Walz’ team pushed through a "historic 15% cut.
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team → accord → cut
That will eliminate nearly 3000 headquarters positions."
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That → eliminate → positions
That change alone provided a savings for U.S. taxpayers of $126 million.
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change → provide → million
Walz recently told Fox Digital that budget cuts now total $1 billion.
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cuts → tell → billion
Walz is also overhauling UN peacekeeping operations, some of which, as he has said, have been around for "30, 50 or even 80 years."
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he → overhaul → years
Walz argues such forces are important to provide breathing room for political settlement of a conflict, but it "can’t then become an excuse to not have a political resolution.
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it → argue → resolution
When you have a peacekeeping force, for example, in DRC and Congo, at the cost of a billion dollars a year, that’s been there for 30 years", it should end.
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it → have → years
Walz is just getting started; reforming an institution so large and complex takes time, which he may not have.
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he → start → which
Soon the UN will elect a new secretary-general to succeed Portugal’s António Guterres, who has served since 2017.
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who → elect → 2017
Currently, most of the candidates who have stepped forward appear eager to embrace the reforms advocated by the White House, alarmed that President Trump is ready to eviscerate the UN’s funding if changes are not made and a U.S.-friendly official not elected.
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official → step → funding
As Politico reported, when the White House announced the creation of the Board of Peace last year to oversee the Israel-Gaza conflict, "U.N. officials and diplomats were really, really unnerved", seeing that Board as some sort of "rival peacemaking institute"…
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officials → report → institute
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
