Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 3 – November-December, 2011

A people in search of a nation in Tuwani, Palestine

THE United States of America has undoubtedly put more time and effort into solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than any other.

When Hilary Clinton became Secretary of State, she called for a “smart power” strategy in the Middle East. “We must use…the full range of tools at our disposal – diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural – picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation,” she said. “With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy.”

Diplomacy is definitely something America has utilized lately. Palestine’s U.N. statehood bid has led to global diplomacy on an enormous scale. From the personal to media and everything in between, the events of recent weeks and months have secured its place in political science courses taught in universities around the world.

Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 1 – July-August, 2011

WHEN the words “United States” and “United Nations” are used in the same sentence, it is highly likely that the author is talking about some sort of controversy. This is certainly the case when it comes to America and U.N. peacekeeping operations. Frequently this question is raised: “Is the United States wasting its money?” The goal of this article is not to argue one side or the other , but rather offer a fresh perspective.

First and foremost, the latest survey or “perspective” of the average American should be taken into consideration, since it is their tax money that pays for all U.S. government programs. What are Americans saying about the U.S. military and U.N. peacekeeping? Past surveys have shown a greater willingness to act in certain circumstances if the action is multilateral rather than unilateral. This fact has not changed. The most recent study released in late 2010 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, entitled “Global Views 2010,” shows that 64 percent of Americans favor having a standing U.N. peacekeeping force selected, trained and commanded by the United Nations. Fifty-four percent also think that the United Nations needs to be strengthened. One can respond to this by saying that the average American has almost no say when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, so it is worthwhile to also consider the Obama administration’s official position on U.N. peacekeeping.