Pacific Views

Americans Want to Work Within the UN

Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria says that George W. Bush's slamming Kerry's desire to work with the UN is shooting wide of the mark for most Americans. In fact, even John Kerry's willingness to work with the UN might not go far enough for large majorities of Americans.

Some facts about Americans and their attitudes toward working within the UN:

• 66% of Americans favor working within the United Nations, even when it adopts policies that the U.S. does not like.
• 59% want to do away with all vetoes in the Security Council, including America's.
• 74% want a standing U.N. peacekeeping force, commanded by the U.N., not the U.S.
• 49% approve of a tax on oil and arms that would fund U.N. activities.
• 76% support the World Court.
• 71% support the Kyoto accords.
• 87% support the treaty banning nuclear testing.
• 80% support the treaty banning land mines.

As Zakaria says, most Americans realize we are part of a global world, and we are better off when we operate under a set of laws that we agree to abide by as well. So the question becomes, how do we marginalize the rabid minority who hate the UN and hate thinking anyone can tell them what to do?

Posted by Mary at October 3, 2004 06:20 PM | International | Technorati links |