The United Nations:
Myth or Facts?

The United Nations is a World Government and a threat to US. national sovereignty.

The United Nations is a voluntary association of 191 sovereign states. These member states determine the U.N.’s priorities and programs. The United States is a Charter member of the U.N., a permanent member of the Security Council, host to U.N. headquarters, a major financial supporter of the U.N. and the world’s leading economic and military power. All of these give the U.S. tremendous influence within the U.N. system.

The United Nations has an army poised to take over the United States.

The United Nations has no army whatsoever. Member states voluntarily supply troops and other personnel to halt conflict and provide humanitarian relief. The U.S. and 14 other members of the Security Council - not the U.N. Secretary General - decide when and where to deploy these peacekeeping forces, and exactly how to deploy.

The U.N. can send Americans into dangerous situations without consent of the United States

The United States, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, can veto any U.N. peacekeeping operation and must give its consent before contributing any troops. In recent years about 4 percent of U.N. peacekeeping troops have been supplied by the U.S.

The United Nations is a "bloated bureaucracy."

The budget for the U.N.’s core functions is $1.26 billion per year -whereas the University of Pennsylvania has a budget of $1.4 billion and the Metropolitan Tokyo Fire Department has a budget of $1.8 billion. In the last few years, the UN has enacted major reforms to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness. These have included appointing an Under-Secretary General for Internal Oversight Services, reducing operating expenses, cutting high-level posts and eliminating some 1,000 positions. The entire worldwide UN system employs some 64,700 people, less than Disneyland and Disney World. The Austrian capital of Vienna has over 70,000 public employees.

The United Nations is expensive

The total cost to the United States of all U.N. Programs, including the U.N.’s core functions, peacekeeping operations, and the work of voluntary programs like UNICEF, is $1.6 billion a year - less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the U.S. federal budget, or $6 per American. By way of comparison, about $1100 per American is spent annually on U.S. national security.

The United Nations contradicts U.S. National interests.

The United Nations helps to prevent and resolve conflict, improve standards of living, protect environment, promote democracy, and prevent oppression - all foreign policy objectives of the United States. Working through the United Nations saves U.S. taxpayers money by making it possible to share the costs of safe-guarding our national interests. Moreover, the U.N. generates income for U.S. businesses (about $404 million in 1997).