UN DECADE NEWSLETTER - Issue #12: SEPTEMBER 1996 ||| ASIL

ISSUE # 12: SEPTEMBER 1996

In This Issue

US-UN Withdrawal Act
UNA Draft Letter
Commentaries:
- Andre De Hoogh (Hague Conf.)
- Howard Meyer (Nuclear Weap.)
Readers' Corner
Pubishers' Information

Message from Chair		UN Decade Objectives
	Your Turn

Message From the Chair

The US assault on the UN is now, more than ever before, a clear and present danger. As previously reported in our Newsletter, the US Congress unilaterally limited the US peace-keeping contribution in a way that permits the Pentagon to further reduce the US share of UN peace-keeping assessments--by a unilateral determi-nation that US operations abroad are contributing toworldwide peacekeeping objectives. See the Chair's letter to certain congress members, which I was directed to draft and submit as a result of our 1995 Annual Business Meeting in New York (Issue #Nine of September 1995).

The second of what I will call three strikes came on the 50th anniversary of the UN, when several members of Congress introduced H.R. 2535, seeking US withdrawal from the UN by the year 2000. Eleven Republican members of the House thereby urged the Congress to decide that the UN no longer serves US national interests. US foreign policy, per this bill, is being distorted by continued ties to the Wilsonian internationalism which was at the heart of the founding of the UN in 1945. I have reproduced the text of this legislation below, so that you may decide how to best use it to implement our objectives (for example, local op-eds).

The United Nations Association's draft letter to congressional representatives is set forth belo w. It is an example of action that you can take or initiate to bring our views to the attention of our representatives on "The Hill."

Presidential candidate Bob Dole's Republican Convention acceptance speech could be characterized as "Strike Three." He therein "declared" that the US president--and not Boutros Boutros Ghali--is in charge of US foreign policy.

This would be a good time for our members to react by writing op-eds and articles placed in our local, regional, or national media locations--so that more citizens become aware of this pressure to eliminate US reliance on the UN as a vehicle for serving its foreign policy objectives. As a member of this special Interest Group, it is time to flex your writing or speaking muscles, to alert all concerned about the growing tension regarding continued US participation in the UN and its agencies (a process that began during the Regan Administration). Please forward copies of any letters, op-eds, or articles that you produce. I can then include them in this Newsletter.

Next, I would like to thank all of those UNDIG members who have contributed a rather rich vein of commentaries in the last several issues--especially, Professor Sompong Sucharitkul's Issue Number 11 midterm review of the UN Decade. These contributions are deeply appreciated by our membership. They attest to the growing interest in the development of our Newsletter and group activities. PLEASE, continue to support your UN Decade Interest Group by writing a commentary for this Newsletter (and for those who are not members of the choir) about any matter that interests you and our membership!

Finally, I would like to especially thank Professor Andre de Hoogh (through the good offices of UNDIG member Alfred Soons) and longtime UNDIG supporter Howard Meyer--who have submitted sparkling commentaries on a Third Hague Peace Conference and Nuclear Weapons.

UN Decade Objectives

At our Group's 1995 business meeting in New York, our informal steering committee suggested that our Newsletter carry a restatement of the essential goals of the United Nations Decade of International Law in each issue. Thus, new members (and seasoned members, as well) can readily recall the reason for our existence. The UN Decade has four essential objectives:

promoting acceptance of the substantive principles of International Law;
promoting peaceful settlement of disputes, including greater use of the International Court of Justice (ICJ);
encouraging progressive development of International Law and its codification;
encouraging the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider acceptance of Inter- national Law.

Your Turn

This final segment of each Newsletter provides the opportunity to comment on any topic of interest to the UN Decade Interest Group (affectionately dubbed "UNDIG"). It has been a very useful source for planning meeting agenda, new issues to be addressed by UNDIG, and the like. Please take a moment to jot down any comments, constructive criticisms, or suggestions.. Send E-Mail to Editor, UN Decade Newsletter