Global Post-The UN's Obama Dividend
Barbara Borst, 13 November 2009
NEW YORK - The Obama administration has pledged to renew the U.S. commitment to the United Nations, but diplomats and analysts are still weighing whether that change in style represents a change in the substance of what the U.N. can accomplish.
Soren Jessen-Petersen, who was a special envoy to former Yugoslav states for the European Union and then the U.N., says he is confident the Obama administration will seek multilateral solutions to world problems, thereby strengthening the U.N. and setting a good example for other countries.
"But let's not get carried away. The U.S., like other big powers, is first and foremost guided by its interests," says Jessen-Petersen, who now heads the Washington office of the non-profit group Independent Diplomat. "They will work with the U.N. to the extent that it helps them further those interests."
For full article (PDF) click here.