The United States should withdraw from the United Nations.

I think the terms of the resolution are pretty clear, so without further adieu, let's get down to the debate! == Contentions == 1. Credibility and Corruption Despite its reputation, one has to wonder how legitimate the credibility of the UN really is. In 2001 the United States was voted out of the UN Human Rights Commission. Nations such as Sudan and Libya - known rights violating nations - were voted in. Syria was promoted to the security council despite the country being known to aid terrorism (talk about irony). Russia has been a part of the commission despite being a totalitarian state where human rights were non-existent for most of the time after its inception [1]. As we can see, many unjust nations are valued as part of the UN despite its commitment to human rights. The United States is hypocritical in standing in opposition to many of these country's regimes and yet supporting them through funding as a sponsor of the UN. There are also fairness issues such as the UN's practice of nepotism (rewarding allies). Another concern is top-ranking official of the U. N. , Secretary General Kofi Annan, having ties to the irresponsibly corrupt oil-for-food program in Iraq. U. N. operations in places like North Korea, Burma, Syria, Iran, Cuba, and Zimbabwe have been transferring cash and resources to these unaccountable regimes and state sponsors of terror in the name of humanitarian assistance and "capacity building" [5]. As you can see, corruption and hypocrisy are not foreign to this morally questionable organization. 2. Usefulness The Johns Hopkins newsletter notes, "Simply put, the U. N. is the world's least effective international body. Despite its grand commitment to end threats to human security, such as interstate war, genocide, famine, internal war, disease and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the U. N. has been surprisingly unsuccessful at achieving these ends" [2]. The UN's ineffectiveness has many underlying causes such as problems with the security council's balance of power, and their adhering to (accepting) every country's 'right' to govern itself how it chooses. However, it's no secret that some forms of government are more acceptable than others. The U. S. is stonewalled from ever trying to actually encourage Human Rights abroad. For instance, when the U. S. tried to pass resolutions against the Sudanese government's sponsorship of genocide in Darfur, China and the Russian Federation stopped us. What is the purpose of this organization if it doesn't accomplish many of its goals? Further, many of the things it is credited for (i. e. preventing a third world war) could easily be attributed to non-U. N. related factors. The U. S. doesn't need this organization to make change throughout the world; in fact, many of our efforts have been hindered as a result of this organization. 3. Expenses American tax dollars should be used solely to advance American interests. It is morally wrong to force citizens to support any type of foreign investment without their direct consent. The U. N. has caused America to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to charities while our own citizens go impoverished and uninsured. For whatever reason, the U. S. is the U. N. 's biggest donor coughing up as much money as 900+ million dollars a year on peace keeping efforts alone. In fact, U. S. contribution alone constitutes more than 1/4 of the entire budget! Since 1945, congressional records indicate that the United States has given $30 billion to the corrupt organization as it pursues a futile enterprise and undermines the sovereignty of the United States [3]. United Nations auditors note that 43 percent of U. N. procurement investigated is tainted by fraud. Out of $1.4 billion in U. N. contracts internally investigated, $610 million was tainted by significant fraud and corruption schemes [5]. 4. American Laws and Sentiments Many U. N. programs have violated the Constitution, such as the implementation of the International Court of Justice and the Law of the Sea Treaty, both of which the United States does not currently endorse [4]. Additionally, since its inception the United States has been wary of involving itself unnecessarily in foreign affairs. In his infamous farewell address, George Washington warned that the U. S. should "steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. " Moreover, the U. N. and the U. S. have often been at odds regarding issues such as the Iraq war, supporting Israel's military endeavors, etc. Why force the U. S. to fund and participate in an organization frequently against its own interests? Moreover, the U. N. often pursues anti-American policies such as the U. N. 's International Criminal Court, which would restrict Americans' right to a trial by a jury of their peers. The ICC contains no provisions to confront one's accusers, and the writ of habeus corpus isn't guaranteed. This is contrary to America's ideals and granted constitutional rights. == Conclusion == The United States' involvement in the United Nations is an unconstitutional and unlawful engagement which disfranchises citizens at their own expense. Our participation is costly with negative aspects that far outweigh the benefits. The benefits of being involved with the UN could be achieved without our involvement. The credibility and impact of the organization is limited with many concerns about its legitimacy and corruption. == Sources == [1] . http://www.capitalismmagazine.com... [2] . http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com... [3] . http://www.thebatt.com... [4] . http://www.house.gov... [5] . http://coburn.senate.gov...