Seven Goals for Responsible U.S. Global Engagement in 2009

+ Back to the 2009 Spring Newsletter

For the first time in more than a decade, global citizens can move from defense to offense, as we work for responsible U.S. engagement with the world. The inauguration of President Barack Obama and an increase in internationally-minded representatives in the U.S. Congress gives us hope that we can now make great strides in creating a safer, cleaner and more peaceful world.

The world is currently facing extraordinary political, security and humanitarian challenges. In order to find solutions to these challenges, U.S. officials must actively seek out the support of friends, allies and other major stakeholders in the international community. However, U.S. leaders will be able to do that only if they exercise power in a manner that is legitimate and one that clearly demonstrates responsibility to future generations.

Citizens for Global Solutions has identified several key priorities to advance during this year of change; President Obama highlighted two of them in his inaugural address when he said, "... we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet." We look forward to working with an administration that takes these threats seriously, but we will also press them to address many long-ignored priorities in 2009, including:

Ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Citizens for Global Solutions is pressing U.S. senators to work for early ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This treaty addresses many issues -- offshore and migratory fish stocks, land based pollution of the seas, and marine extractive industries -- that can have long-term impacts on the international economy and environment. At her confirmation hearing in January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointed out that the treaty is "...supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff; environmental, energy, and business interests..." and declared that its ratification is "long overdue." According to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry, the treaty could come up for consideration early in the session, so that 26 years after it was concluded, and 14 years after it went into effect, the prospects are good that the U.S. will finally accede.

Working for an Effective International Criminal Court

We have long advocated for the United States to join the International Criminal Court (ICC,) a legal body empowered to hold the world's most heinous criminals accountable for their actions. This year, we will focus on persuading the Obama administration to reverse the U.S.'s 2002 "un-signing" of the Rome Statute, and to take a seat as an observer at the Court's governing body, the Assembly of State Parties. We'll also press for responsible U.S. participation in the ICC's 2010 Review Conference, where representatives will discuss whether to expand the Court's power to cover carefully-defined international acts of aggression. Global Solutions would like to see U.S. officials deepen their cooperation with the Court, so that they can supply evidence and logistical support to investigations and trials currently underway in Sudan, Uganda and the Congo.

We will also advocate for the amendment or revocation of the Bilateral Immunity Agreements which remove U.S. citizens from the Court's jurisdiction. The Bush administration pressured more than 100 nations into signing these agreements, which undermine the authority of the Court.

Stepping up U.S. Involvement in Global Peacekeeping

The U.S. needs to become a more responsible partner in U.N. peacekeeping missions. The total U.S. peacekeeping debt in Fiscal Year 2009 could exceed $1.3 billion, including arrearages and anticipated shortfalls. Not only does the U.S. shortchange the operations financially, but it rarely commits troops; as of December 2008, only ten U.S. troops were deployed in U.N. peacekeeping operations. With more than 90,000 U.N. peacekeepers now deployed in 20 missions on four continents, developing countries have had to shoulder much of the burden of peacekeeping, despite having less-well-equipped and less-well-trained troops. Global Solutions will work to eliminate overall U.S. debt to the U.N., to build support for a rapid deployment capability, and to increase the contribution of U.S. personnel and material to U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Promoting a World without Nuclear Weapons

Last year, the Democratic Party declared its support for one of our top goals - "a world with no nuclear weapons." President Obama is supporting the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT,) and is also interested in plans to reduce the overall number of nuclear weapons worldwide. The United States and Russia together have close to 30,000 nuclear warheads; safeguarding stockpiles of weapons and fissile material around the world is vital to global security. Global Solutions will use its influence to press for ratification of the CTBT. In addition, the December 2009 expiration of the START I treaty, which reduces and limits U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles, will provide an opportunity to build political support for new agreements to eliminate these weapons of mass destruction.

Promoting Equitable Policies on Climate Change

In December, nations will gather in Copenhagen, Denmark for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We will press the U.S. to play a constructive role in negotiating a successor to the Kyoto climate change agreement. We will focus on building support for controlling deforestation, capping greenhouse gas emissions, and building capacity in developing nations. Convincing U.S. officials to take a positive role at the negotiations is the critical first step towards building bipartisan support within the U.S. for eventual ratification of the protocol.

Restoring Human Rights

President Obama's order to close Guantanamo and the remaining secret CIA interrogation facilities is a great step towards repairing America's damaged human rights record. Now, it's time for officials to take the next step and run for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) when it holds elections in May. The HRC can become an instrument for change throughout the world; increased U.S. participation would hasten that process. Global Solutions will work to increase support for the HRC among U.S. voters, so that the Obama administration can deepen its level of engagement without fear of political repercussions.

We will also press the U.S. to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, or CEDAW, which was adopted by the U.N. in 1979. The agreement will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year; U.S. ratification would be a great way to mark that occasion.

Championing a More Effective and Empowered United Nations

In 2005, outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a group of African leaders, "....too many countries emerging from conflict are left to lapse back into violence, for lack of international support for disarmament and other steps toward recovery and reconstruction." In order to solve that problem, we will press for the establishment of a permanent U.N. Emergency Peace Service, so that peacekeepers can be deployed to troubled areas before conflicts break out, and they can also be moved quickly into post-conflict areas when peace agreements are signed. We will also advocate for the United States and other permanent Security Council members to voluntarily restrict their use of the veto in situations involving genocide, major war crimes and major crimes against humanity.

Finally, we believe it is time to bring the voice of the citizens into the United Nations. Before leaving office Kofi Annan noted, "There is a democracy deficit in the UN governance that has to be corrected. We are the ones who go around the world lecturing everybody about democracy. I think it is time we apply it to ourselves." This year, Global Solutions will begin a dialogue on the need for a U. N. Parliamentary Assembly, where directly elected representatives can debate global issues. The U.N. is one of the few major international and regional bodies that does not have a parliamentary assembly. If it is to fully realize its potential, the United Nations must broaden its support among ordinary citizens. The best way to do this is do allow them a direct voice in U.N. decisions.

During his inauguration, President Obama said, "There are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans ... They have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose..." Let us join together this year; with imagination and determination, I know our global citizens can achieve great things.