Pay our dues to the UN. The U.S. makes a big show of voting for UN Peacekeeping missions (a large part of their role on the Security Council) but we fail to fully fund our share. Voting is one thing, coming through with the cash is the most important part. As it is now, we are setting these important UN missions up for failure. So, Mr/Mrs next President, please, put your money where your mouth is
Put a tax on carbon and other greenhouse gases so we can fight our climate crisis. A cap and trade will inevitably be manipulated by the market and business looking to make a buck. We need a REAL price on carbon and other pollutants.
Americans need to think of themselves as global citizens and collaborate with other citizens and nations in the world-- We can't afford to go it alone!
Peacekeeping is not easy. Peace, like war, must be waged: it means protecting civilians, overseeing elections, and disarming ex-combatants. Over 100,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed around the world, doing the hard work that others can't or won't do, in places where others can't or won't go. Join me in thanking UN peacekeepers for all that they do at http://www.globalproblems-globalsolutions.org/site/PageNavigator/BWC_Peacekeeping_Thankyou.
On Day One, we need to act like we are members of the world, not rulers of the world. We need to sit down with other countries, even those we don't happen to like, we need to use economic pressure, and yes, as a last resort, we need to use military pressure, in a concerned fashion that works with our NATO partners and with the UN. That is the way we can repair all the damage that's been done during the Bush administration.
On Day One, the next president should call for a summit meeting in Washington for all great powers - including allies, Security Council permanent members like China and Russia, and emerging powers like India. Rather than enlarge the out-of-date UN Security Council, the next administration should convene this "global great power concert" with informal meetings of heads of state on a regular basis.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January, 2003, Colin Powell was asked if the United States' plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.
He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."
It became very quiet in the room.
Let's be clear, Blackwater employees are typically ex-Army. Well, we don't trust them on their own in Iraq, but they can be useful. And let's face it, the Blue helmets can't get anything done. So one needs to be toned down, the other needs to be toned up. And if it doesn't work, well, we can stop.
