[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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