US elected to UN rights council

[Netto Azure]

US elected to UN rights council

The US had previously been critical of the UN Human Rights Council​

The United States has been elected to a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for the first time.
The council had been shunned by the Bush administration, which accused it of admitting states with poor rights records and having an anti-Israel bias.
But the Obama administration has reversed its predecessor's policy of boycotting the Geneva-based body.
The US was one of 18 countries elected to the 47-seat council in a vote by the UN General Assembly.
After the vote, the US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, told the BBC America was not blind to the council's flaws.
"Obviously there will always be some countries whose respect and record on human rights is sub-par," she said.
"We have not been perfect ourselves but we intend to lead based on the strong principled vision that the American people have about respecting human rights [and] supporting democracy."
Ms Rice added that the US looked forward to the review of the council's workings due in 2011.

Well, well. I am quite happy with this new development in the international stage. I do hope that we'll join the International Criminal Court (ICC) soon.

One of the reasons the UN has been weakened over the years is that the US has sidestepped it and hoped to not be bound by it's resolution on the grounds of "National Sovereignty." It's quite ironic how the US espouses such "Peace and Freedom" rhetoric but doesn't act in strengthening international institutions geared toward it...



I just certainly do not want for the UN to crumble the way of the League of Nations. But if reforms are needed, so be it.

 

[Nicoleta01]

Problem with the U.N: US finances 19% of the budget, so they hold lots of sway (Japan is next at about 11%). And a resolution is just that, a resolution, the U.N isn't a law-making body so really everything about it is voluntary (And good for international relations among countries).

One reason for the boycott by the previous administration is well-known human rights violators being elected to the council (Saudia Arabia was also elected to the Council this time around,) Really, the U.S. isn't perfect but there are worse places to be in the world. Maybe it's a step in the right direction, maybe it's not, who knows?

 

[Valdez]

One reason for the boycott by the previous administration is well-known human rights violators being elected to the council (Saudia Arabia was also elected to the Council this time around,) Really, the U.S. isn't perfect but there are worse places to be in the world. Maybe it's a step in the right direction, maybe it's not, who knows?

Maybe the US boycotted because they didn't want to be one of the human right violators on there. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, eh?

 

[Fig]

The US are far from perfect, but not to the point of giving them a pot/kettle line when compared to country like Saudi Arabia, China, etc.