Global Policy Forum

By Richard Falk & David Krieger

The Charter of the United Nations states it will "ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest." But as it stands now, armed force is not used save in U.S. interests.

Because it does not have a standing military of its own, the United Nations is largely powerless. It can issue resolutions, but when it comes time to enforce them, it relies on member states to voluntarily provide the manpower needed to enforce its decisions. In many cases, this means it turns to the United States to provide the bulk of its firepower and relies on other nations to fill in any gaps. If the United Nations plans to impose the promised "serious consequences" on Iraq for continuing to refuse weapons inspectors through Friday, for example, it will be reliant on U.S. forces to provide any militaristic component of these consequences. A few other countries would likely provide some assistance, but because the United States holds a disproportionately large share of the world's military power, it will always have to be the primary contributor to major U.N. missions.

This dependence on the United States is detrimental to the United Nations. It results in a U.S. hegemony over what should be a democratic, independent entity. Indeed, the only reason the recent Iraqi weapons inspection resolution was passed was because of the United States' wishes. France, Russia, and China -- permanent U.N. Security Council members with veto powers -- had originally opposed an attack on Iraq, but they gave President Bush the justification he needs for doing just that by passing this resolution. The only reasonable explanation for this is that the United States made it apparent they would attack with or without the support of the United Nations. And when the United States says it will attack regardless, Security Council members only stand to gain damaged diplomatic relations by opposing it.

Implementing a standing army for the United Nations would free it from many of these binds to the United States. First of all, it could pursue peacekeeping missions and intervene in international conflicts in which the United States does not hold any particular interest. All nations would be able to vote for or against the deployment of troops based on the moral integrity of the individual issue, instead of also considering how many men they will have to commit to the project.

Secondly, a U.N. standing army would lift at least part of the responsibility of "policing the world" off of the United States and place it where it belongs -- in an objective international entity. The United States usually pursues humanitarian causes where there is also economic or political gain to be had. The United Nations would not be directly subject to these ulterior motives, though, because it does not stand to make any personal gain.

In the United States, Supreme Court justices are elected for life so they can vote independently of pressures from U.S. citizens or government. Politicians may try to dictate the decisions the court makes by appointing members of their own political party to the court, but they cannot fire the justices if they do not vote the way they wish.

By the same logic, the United Nations should be given its own army so it can pick its fights based on the common good. While the United States may still try to control the actions undertaken by a U.N. army, its ability to do so would be balanced by the votes of the other permanent members of the Security Council.

Until the United Nations has an army of its own, it will be forever subjected to the United States' militaristic wishes and fiscal interests.

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