democracy or imperial extortion?

Extortion:
"This will teach countries a lesson." -- Representative Tom Lantos
"Send the world a message."  Representative Dick Armey
(And note the comment by Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois.  Apparently
he didn't read the World Bank's view of
Cuba as a model of development.)

Or democracy:
"I don't believe trying to blackmail nations to support us ever works."
Representative Eliot Engel, Democrat of New York.


May 10, 2001, New York Times
House Votes to Withhold Payment of Some U.N. Dues
By MARC LACEY

WASHINGTON, May 10 — The House voted today to withhold $244 million in dues
to the United Nations next year unless member countries restore the United
States to the seat from which it was ousted on the United Nations Human
Rights Commission.

The decision to put conditions on the third and final payment of back dues,
approved 252 to 165 against the wishes of the White House, came as lawmakers
of both parties expressed anger over the recent tally leaving the United
States without a seat on the human rights commission for the first time
since it was created in 1947.

"This will teach countries a lesson," said Representative Tom Lantos,
Democrat of California. "Actions have consequences. If they would like to
get this payment, they will vote the United States back on the commission.
If they don't, it will cost them $244 million."

The House agreed to send the United Nations $582 million in arrears this
year, part of a deal struck in 1999 that reduces the United States share of
United Nations operations. And some lawmakers said that today's vote was
largely a symbolic one and that the final $244 million in dues would likely
be paid, as well.

The Senate has put forward no similar measure to withhold the final dues
payment, aides said, and administration officials remain optimistic that the
United States will be restored to the human rights body next year, even
without the threat of withholding funds.

The White House and State Department had opposed the House action. But
conservative lawmakers who are critical of the United Nations altogether
joined to pass the measure with U.N. backers who sought to prevent an even
tougher congressional response — the withholding of this year's funding, as
well.

"Without this nation's leadership, there would be no United Nations," argued
Representative Dick Armey, Republican of Texas and the House majority
leader. "Send the world a message."

During the floor debate today, lawmakers railed against many of the nations
of the world — from allies who did not back the United States to nations
like China, Cuba and Sudan who were elected to the commission despite
much-criticized human rights records.

Representative Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois and chairman of the
International Relations Committee, singled out the Europeans for criticism
for their "inexplicable and inexcusable decision" not to back the United
States for a seat.

He called the ouster of the United States "a deliberate attempt to punish
the United States for its insistence that we tell the truth about human
rights abuses wherever they occur, including those countries represented on
the commission, such as China and Cuba."

Although the vote denying the United States a place on the commission was
conducted a secret ballot, administration officials say that Europeans acted
with others on the United Nations Economic and Social Council to deny the
United States a seat. The amendment approved today, part of the $8.2 billion
State Department authorization bill up for a vote next week, also insisted
that the United Nations end such secret ballots.

Many Democrats oppposed the conditions, arguing that the United States had
made a commitment to pay the back dues and that withholding the money would
just exacerbate the anti-American sentiment in the world.

"I don't believe trying to blackmail nations to support us ever works," said
Representative Eliot Engel, Democrat of New York. "This may go a long way in
expressing our personal pique but I think in the long run it's destructive."

A United Nations official reacted similarly, telling reporters shortly
before the vote that putting conditions on the dues was not in the United
States' own interest.

"The U.N. serves as an instrument to do things you don't want to do, but
that you know need doing," said Kieran Prendergast, the United Nations
undersecretary general for political affairs. "Does it make sense to take
actions that are ultimately self-defeating?"

The House did, in another vote today, send a more conciliatory measure to
the United Nations. In a sense of the Congress resolution, the House
recommended that the United States rejoin the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, from which it pulled out in 1984.
Lawmakers argued that it would be hypocritical to demand inclusion in the
human rights commission and at the same time stay out of Unesco because of
decades-old grievances.

"Unesco was a corrupt, anti-American organization," said Mr. Lantos. "It has
cleaned up its act."

The human rights vote spilled over as well into a debate on whether the
United States should stay out of the International Criminal Court, which the
Bush administration opposes.  Lawmakers voted 282 to 137 on a measure that
would protect American military personnel from the jurisdiction of the world
court.

"Members can side with the U.N. or defend our service members," argued
Representative Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas and the House majority whip.
"Last week, we were reminded how fickle the U.N. can be."