Newt: Three Strategies to Change the United Nations

From Newt Gingrich's Sept. 26 "Winning the Future" newsletter,

The spectacle of hate and anti-Americanism being vigorously applauded by those sustained by our aid and contributions to international organizations does more than just discredit the participants - it calls the whole UN process into question. The recent, modest efforts at reform there have clearly failed. The United States needs to immediately undertake three strategies to transform the UN from the anti-American, anti-freedom forum it now is into an effective champion for the spread of democracy and human rights.

1. Hold Dictators and Demagogues Accountable: Following Chavez's tirade of lies and personal insults to our President, the United States should have taken him on, not ignored him. We should have demanded that he personally apologize and that the General Assembly censure him. We owe it to ourselves and to an effective UN to confront head-on every lie about America and freedom uttered there.

2. Demand Our Money's Worth: America contributes 22 percent of the United Nation's budget, but what do we get for our money? We need to begin to use all our resources - our diplomacy and our economic muscle - to organize the votes worldwide to profoundly reform the UN. All of our ambassadors must be tasked with using whatever carrots and sticks are available in our relations with other countries to see that the UN is reorganized. Because if the United Nations isn't organized in support of democracies and against dictatorships, what are we and our money doing there?

3. Put the Burden of Proof on Them: America should begin to seek out and create alternative forums for dealing with other nations until the United Nations has proved to us it is reformed. The burden of proof should be on the United Nations to show us that it can be something more than a soapbox for tyrants and a megaphone for hate.