The price of peace

International | Before paying the UN, congressman suggests "accounting" | Bob Jones

As President Clinton made his dash to the center in the months before the last election, he started espousing ideas-such as school uniforms and a moment of silence before class-that sounded vaguely Republican. Cynics insisted he'd return to his diehard Democratic ways as soon as the polling booths closed.

The cynics were wrong. Mr. Clinton is safely ensconced in the White House for a second term, but, as evidenced by his speech at the UN last week, he hasn't given up on one theme made famous by his Republican predecessor: the need for a New World Order.

It's a Republican theme that many in the GOP see as morally bankrupt, much like the UN itself. Conservatives have long complained that the world body restricts American sovereignty by dictating foreign policy, then expects U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill for its bloated bureaucracy and aggressive interventionist agenda. In recent years, that agenda has included sending troops to Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Haiti, among others. As expenses soared, Congress balked at paying the bill. In 1995, it passed a bill prohibiting the United States from paying more than 25 percent of the UN's total peacekeeping costs.