POMED Notes: USIP Sustaining America’s Global Leadership: US Priorities at the UN

On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a discussion with Dr. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, moderated by Dr. Abiodun Williams, Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management at the U.S. Institute of Peace, with a welcome by Dr. Richard Solomon, President of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

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On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a discussion with Dr. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, moderated by Dr. Abiodun Williams, Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management at the U.S. Institute of Peace, with a welcome by Dr. Richard Solomon, President of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Solomon started the event by talking about Brimmer’s impressive credentials and the importance of the relationship between the U.N. and the U.S. Dr. Brimmer began by discussing the challenges the next U.N. General Assembly will face when it opens its next session on September 14^th.  She identified the main issues as next steps in the democratic transition in Libya, the current humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, and Sudan. With these issues, the next U.N. General Assembly is in a situation of dramatic global changes. Brimmer noted the changes in North Africa and the Middle East as prime examples of this global change, as human rights and democracy are embraced across the region.

With the context of global changes, Brimmer discussed how the current administration has restored U.S.’s national security standing through multilateralism and other factors. Noting the desire by many political leaders for the U.S. to withdraw from the U.N, she emphasized that U.S. engagement with the U.N. has never been more crucial. Brimmer noted that the U.S. needs to embrace a 21^st century worldview, and full participation in the U.N. is necessary to do so.

With globalization as a driving force in the world, multilateral institutions are more important now than ever. Brimmer noted that multilateral diplomacy is essential to U.S. foreign policy, and international institutions like the U.N. provide the perfect forum for this. She also stated that every issue of U.S. foreign policy will be discussed in the U.N., and that the U.S. needs to adapt to the changing world.  She pointed to Libya as a “perfect example” of how U.S. engagement with the U.N. can be successful.

Brimmer noted the effectiveness of U.N. peacekeeping missions. U.N. peacekeeping forces face tougher challenges across the globe, and are being used more often. One of the benefits of peacekeeping forces is that they can be deployed at a fraction of the price of U.S. troops, making the forces highly valuable.  The peacekeeping forces also help in conflict prevention, as they are deployed to prevent situations from getting out of hand.

U.S. policy towards the U.N. has evolved, and made advancements in multilateralism. Brimmer stated that the U.S. and the U.N. can cooperate to further U.S. interests, and that the U.N. is not trying to “trample over” America’s interests. In conclusion, she said that the U.S. cannot abandon the U.N. now and that U.S. involvement in the U.N. must be robust in order to be effective.

During the question and answer section, Brimmer was asked a question about U.S. support for expanding the U.N. Security Council. She said that the U.S. supports a modest expansion in both permanent and temporary members. The Security Council should reflect the 21^st century and have global members. In a question about who should play a lead role in the Libyan transition, Brimmer stated the Libyan people should.  However, the U.S. and the U.N. should listen to what the people want and need there, and react accordingly.

The final question asked was about the response in Syria and why hasn’t there been the same response there as in Libya. Brimmer noted that every country is different, and that the U.S. has called for Assad to step down and to stop the violence. She noted the Arab states also came out in the U.N. Human Rights Council and voiced their opinion. Overall, the U.S. and U.N. are waiting to see if reform will happen in Syria.