It's hardly controversial to say that some Republicans sometimes view the UN with deep suspicion. And often , during election season, the UN serves as a useful whipping boy for (typically Republican) candidates trying to curry favor with a small but enthusiastic element of the Republican base. So, it was rather welcome to see that the portion of the GOP Convention Platform discussing the United Nations, while tough, is far from an anti-UN screed. In fact, parts of it are an out right rejection of far right's preferred approach to the United Nations. Historically, some Republicans (and here I am referencing House Republicans in the 1990s) have sought to condition U.S. payment to the UN on UN reform; that is, Republican lawmakers sought to withhold UN funding until the UN adopted American-mandated reforms. Although smart reform as a mechanism for making the UN as efficient as possible and the most capable to fulfill its many important missions, would, without a doubt, be a positive development, tying those reforms to UN dues is a horrible idea. More recently, there has been a movement afoot to overhaul UN funding to a system of voluntary contributions. During his waning months as UN Ambassador, John Bolton argued forcefully for this approach, under which we would "pay for what we want, instead of paying a bill for what we get." Currently, the UN is funded though assessed dues. The United States is the highest dues paying member of the Un ...
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