[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 8, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
PEACEKEEPING AND THE U.S. NATIONAL INTEREST
Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Madam President, I recently cochaired a working group
with Congressman Lee Hamilton, sponsored by the Henry L. Stimson
Center, on peacekeeping and the U.S. national interest.
Clearly peacekeeping is an issue which has generated much discussion
and debate over the past year. Following the experiences of Somalia and
Haiti, uneasiness about United States involvement in U.N. peacekeeping
has grown. Some have called for the United States to abandon U.N.
peacekeeping altogether and focus our efforts solely on unilateral U.S.
action.
Madam President, the Stimson working group rejected this view. We
believe that U.N. peacekeeping can serve U.S. interests. However,
recognizing the failures of the past and growing financial constraints,
we also believe that the United Nations needs a new approach to
peacekeeping, with greater selectivity, tougher mandates, financial
reforms, and better training, equipment, and support.
The working group also emphasized the importance of Congress and the
Executive working together to form a more constructive and cooperative
approach to U.N. peacekeeping. Recent experiences in Somalia, Haiti,
and Bosnia underline the importance of close consultation with Congress
on this issue.
I ask unanimous consent that a summary of the Stimson Center report,
``Peacekeeping and the U.S. National Interest'' be printed in the
Record. I hope our report will contribute to the important, ongoing
discussion about the U.S. role in U.N. peacekeeping.
There being no objection, the report was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
Summary of the Stimson Center Report
``Peacekeeping and the US National Interest,'' a report
from a bi-partisan group led by Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-
KS) and Representative Lee Hamilton (D-IN), makes far-
reaching recommendations that would overhaul the UN's
troubled operations. The group concludes that strengthening
the United Nations' peacekeeping operations is both urgent
and directly in America's national interests.
Hoping to forge a consensus between parties and between
branches of the federal government, the group warns: ``As the
world's predominant power, the United States cannot
disconnect itself from the international environment. . . But
. . . the United States does not have to act alone. . .
Effective United Nations peace operations offer an
alternative for the United States to share the burden of
world peace with like-minded nations.''
The report notes that the UN's record in peace operations
has been mixed, with a few clear successes, a few outright
failures, and many uncertain outcomes. However, unlike those
who urge the end of US participation, the Kassebaum/Hamilton
group urges a series of reforms to make the UN more effective
in its security role. The group concludes that strengthened
UN capabilities ``would provide a new security option to the
United States, to be used at the US Government's discretion,
permitting us to avoid the necessity of choosing between
unilateral action and standing by helplessly when
international atrocities occur.''
In its deliberations, the group insisted that a
strengthened UN must not in any way compromise the United
States' rights to self-defense and to completely independent
armed forces, nor diminish in any way the power of the United
States to veto any UN operation of which it does not approve.
If these principles are maintained, a stronger UN will serve
American interests, as well as those of the international
community.
The panel includes members of Congress, experienced
diplomats and military officers, former UN officials, and
experts. Kassebaum and Hamilton led the other members of the
group in calling on the administration to begin urgent
consultations on a reform package to be presented to the UN.
Their report outlines a three-point plan to strengthen the
United Nations' system, improve US participation, and create
a role for Congress in US decision-making.
A Strengthened United Nations
With three former UN under-secretaries among its members,
the group was in a unique position to understand the needs of
UN reform. Among the reforms recommended by the group are
cuts in the size of the UN bureaucracy and a consolidation of
responsibilities among fewer under-secretaries, the
appointment of deputy-secretary-general to coordinate the
activities of the UN's agencies, the immediate appointment of
an independent inspector general, and the installation of an
experienced management team and professional personnel
system.
With respect to UN peacekeeping, the report urges:
Greater selectivity: Members must be more selective in
authorizing new peace operations, avoiding situations not
ready for solution or not vital enough to warrant the
resources necessary to achieve success.
Tougher mandates: More realistic mandates are essential, in
the group's view, with realistic deadlines, clear assignments
of authority and responsibility to commanders, and rules of
engagement flexible enough to permit the troops to carry out
their missions.
Financial reforms: The formula used to assess peacekeeping
costs should be changed, in the group's view, so that the
share paid by the U.S. and the other permanent members of the
Security Council is reduced, and the burden shared more
equitably by other wealthy nations. Member states should be
assessed only once a year for an integrated peacekeeping
budget, rather than the many times each year they are
currently hit up for individual missions.
Training, equipment, and support: Nations should designate
units for potential service in U.N. peace missions and
provide them with specialized training and equipment so that
they can operate effectively with the peace forces of other
nations. The U.N. should be given sufficient funds to
continue modernizing its command and communications
capabilities, and to maintain the professional staff required
to coordinate modern military operations.
U.S. Participation in U.N. Peacekeeping
The group recommends that American participation in peace
operations concentrate on those unique capabilities, like
airlift and specialized logistical capabilities, which the
U.S. and very few other nations can provide. When U.S.
interests are clearly engaged, however, the United States
should be prepared to make available combat forces as well.
At such times, the United States must ensure that command
arrangements are clearly described in the mandate and are
appropriate for the situation. Whenever U.S. troops are
involved in a U.N. mission, moreover, appropriate U.S.
military commands should maintain contact with U.S. units and
be prepared to assist the mission in a timely fashion should
events turn against it.
The Role of the Congress
The past year had witnessed rancorous debates over the
Congress' role in decisions on U.N. peacekeeping and the
introduction of legislative initiatives that would curb the
president's freedom-of-action. According to Senator Nancy
Kassebaum, co-chair of the group, these debates have
underlined the importance of building a new, more
constructive congressional-executive partnership on U.N.
peacekeeping. ``The president should consult closely with
congressional leaders whenever a new U.N. peace operation is
being considered, particularly one involving U.S. forces,''
she says. ``Such a move would help build a consensus for the
president's policy and greatly aid the sustainability of
American efforts.''
The report notes that no new legislation is required to
implement such procedures, only a commitment by both branches
to act together to ensure the success of U.N. peace
operations and the defense of American security interests.
Joint Executive/Congressional Action
The group calls on the Administration and the Congress to
work out a comprehensive package of initiatives to present to
the U.N. Secretariat and to other member states. Working
together in this way, co-chair Lee Hamilton observes, ``the
two branches of government can ensure that there is no
question about the United States' commitment to U.N. peace
operations, so long as necessary reforms are taken in the
United Nations' own procedures.'' Senator Kassebaum joins
Representative Hamilton and the other members of the group in
calling on the administration to begin urgent consultations
on the contents of a package of reforms which would make it
possible for the United Nations to serve world peace and the
security interests of all nations, as its founders intended.
The Working on Peacekeeping and the U.S. National Interest
is a project of the Henry L. Stimson Center, a non-profit
organization devoted to research and public education on
issues of national and international security. The project is
funded by the Henry L. Stimson Center.
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