Dubya goes cap in hand to the UN

[Grille]

Originally posted by rmsharpe


47 percent of Iraqi "oil for food" (or bribes, as I have heard) dollars went to pay for UN bureaucracy costs.

Originally posted by rmsharpe
The UN siphoned off billions of dollars from Iraq during Saddam's tyrannic rule, we're just asking for them to give it back.

So, basically, you (the US, I suppose) want the UN to give back money that has been spent on bureaucracy.

Maybe there have been problems with certain membership contributions...

To sum it up, you ask to give money back you never paid?

 

[omichyron]

Originally posted by rmsharpe


47 percent of Iraqi "oil for food" (or bribes, as I have heard) dollars went to pay for UN bureaucracy costs.

Hitler's invasion of Russia was a great thing for democracy because Stalin was an evil dictator bent on dominating Europe who locked people up in prisons where they were used for forced labor and often put to death... oh wait.

No matter how much one may disapprove of someone else, his level of wrongdoing doesn't justify one's own.

 

[Norlamand]

Originally posted by Grille





So, basically, you (the US, I suppose) want the UN to give back money that has been spent on bureaucracy.

Maybe there have been problems with certain membership contributions...

To sum it up, you ask to give money back you never paid?

Which country pays the most in UN dues? Say more than the vast majority of the others. Could it be the same country that funds, largely, just about every UN endeavor as well as NATO and others?
I'd say such a nation should have a say equal to its input......

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

They know how to commit theft indirectly.

Amazing. Boy oh boy could we learn a lot from them.

 

[Grille]

Originally posted by Pontiuth Pilate
If you don't pay the dues, don't complain about the way the clubhouse is run.

Exactly my point.

 

[Norlamand]

I'd agree with that. Personally I'd kick the whole lot of them out of NY and leave the pathetic organization to the slow death it deserves.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

I changed my message on second thought

I think overall criticism of the amount of dues the USA has to pay has SOME basis - not much but some - but OTOH it's better to shell out that than the 400 billion we're going to need to go it alone now that we've isolated the rest of the world.

 

[Norlamand]

As for the dues, I would be willing to venture that the US has payed well more than its share of the operating budget of the UN.

 

[Norlamand]

I'd rather we pay the price up front ourselves than give the money to the UN to squander on inefficiency and graft.

 

[omichyron]

Originally posted by Norlamand
I'd rather we pay the price up front ourselves than give the money to the UN to squander on inefficiency and graft.

uh, I think the whole point is we'd be spending less if the UN got involved. Since money is a big thing to Our Glorious Leader I'm sure he thought it through and decided the cost is actually less

 

[Grille]

Originally posted by Norlamand

I'd say such a nation should have a say equal to its input......

But that's a problem, you don't even need the UN as international institution then.

PP: I obviously hit the quote button before you made the edit. Seems like you can live with that... (if not, say a word)

 

[Norlamand]

@omichyron
If you think the UN will finish the job faster than the US and without insisting the US pay the majority of the cost, you need to look at the history of UN operations in the world.

@Grille
Exactly! I don't think we need, or should be part of , the UN. I'd rather we have individual relationships with counties rather than world government by committee.

 

[omichyron]

Actually, if you heard my predictions about Iraq you'd accuse me of being a naysaying liberal traitor or something of the sort. I don't think it's a job that's going to get finished up either way

 

[Norlamand]

I hope you are wrong, but our too hasty loss of interest in Afghanistan makes me worry that you may be right. Staying the course has always been a weak point in US foreign policy.

 

[Grille]

@Norla: yeah, you kind of already stated that anyways. I can understand if one doesn't like the UN, fine so far.

What I don't understand is that the current US administration "avoids" the UN sometimes, and sometimes (as it seems to be now) not. Too opportunistic for me.

 

[Norlamand]

I agree Grille. The schizophrenic relations piss me off! Make a clean break with them or belly up to the bar and stick with them. I can't stand the inconsistency.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

@omichyron
If you think the UN will finish the job faster than the US and without insisting the US pay the majority of the cost, you need to look at the history of UN operations in the world.


Like Gulf War 1, in which other nations paid 80% of the price, IIRC.

Now that was an example of coalition building within the framework of international law.

 

[Norlamand]

Don't have any numbers on the funding of GW1 so I'll take your word for it. If it is true that is great! We were one of over a dozen countries involved and only payed 20% of the cost. That has to be a first..........surely the mistake has been recognized and won't be repeated........

ahhhhh finally my 300th post........now for a new avatar!

 

[bigfatron]

Originally posted by Norlamand

Which country pays the most in UN dues? Say more than the vast majority of the others. Could it be the same country that funds, largely, just about every UN endeavor as well as NATO and others?
I'd say such a nation should have a say equal to its input......

Every country pays inot the UN in proportion to its GNP - as the US is the largest (economically) and richest country, the US pays the most. Otherwise what would you expect? Impoverished Mozambique to match payments with Canada? Liechtenstein to pay the same as Germany? Clearly idiotic.

In fact, the US is the only country that has a rebate on this system - US GDP is about 33% of global GDP, but the rules cap the US contribution at 25% of the UN budget, and the second tier nations like Britain take up the slack.

Thus the US pays a lower proportion of its income into the UN than any other country on earth. That is, when it pays its contribution at all! So quit your whinging....

 

[Kinniken]

Originally posted by Norlamand
As for the dues, I would be willing to venture that the US has payed well more than its share of the operating budget of the UN.

I must disagree. While the US pays the highest contribution of any member, that only makes 311 millions for 2003, or 25% while the US has a GDP (PPP) of 10.4 trillions. That comes down to a contribution of 0.00299% of GDP.

Japan with a GDP of 3.55 trillions pays the UN 263 millions, or 0.0074% of GDP.

France pays 87 millions from a GDP of 1.54 trillions, or 0.0056% of GDP.

I could go on, but the bottom line is that while the US in fixed terms pays the highest contribution, compared to its economic strength it pays far less than other western nations. It's certainly not paying "more than its fair share". And 311 millions anyway is nothing when compared to the cost of the Iraq war...

Sorry to fire-out the whole array of statistics, but I've heard that complaint time and time again and it's startign to annoy me