In a New York Times opinion column, Nicholas Kristof writes that the Trump administration is delinquent in its United Nations dues while 141 countries, including Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are fully paid up, according to a U.N. list the column cites. Kristof also writes that President Trump used his U.N. speech to threaten to "annihilate" Iran and "drive them into hell," and that major powers are marginalizing the United Nations as 130 armed conflicts are under way worldwide, more than double the number in 2009, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Column argues U.S. is delinquent on U.N. dues as major powers sideline the body
In a New York Times opinion column, Nicholas Kristof writes that the Trump administration is delinquent in its United Nations dues while 141 countries, including Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are fully paid up, according to a U.N. list the column cites. Kristof also writes that President Trump used his U.N. speech to threaten to "annihilate" Iran and "drive them into hell," and that major powers are marginalizing the United Nations as 130 armed conflicts are under way worldwide, more than double the number in 2009, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The column states that the 141 fully paid-up countries include Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and links to a U.N. honor roll of contributions. It does not state the amount the United States owes.
The column cites the International Committee of the Red Cross for the figure of about 130 armed conflicts under way, which it says is more than double the number in 2009, and argues that a growing share of global problems are international and require multilateral responses.
The column lists fuel prices surging, what it calls Trump's Iran war spreading to Yemen and the Red Sea, Russian "gray-zone" attacks in Europe as reported by The Economist, and the risk of war with China over Taiwan or the South China Sea. It also lists drugs, epidemics, artificial intelligence, computer hacking, terrorism, human trafficking, climate change, the war in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza, and looming famine in Somalia as challenges it says demand cooperative responses.
The column states that Trump last year derided the United Nations as full of "empty words" and that he had a point, describing the body as a "timid Tower of Babel" that is more effective at issuing paper than at solving conflicts. It recalls that in 2009, while the author was covering the Darfur genocide with George Clooney, the United Nations pulled their security escort for fear of being associated with criticism Clooney might make of Sudan, and states that the United Nations dithered when Bosnians, Rwandans and Yazidis were slaughtered.
- The source does not state the amount the United States owes in United Nations dues.
- The source does not state the Trump administration's stated reason for withholding the payments.
- The source does not give the date of the U.N. speech in which Trump is described as threatening Iran, or specify which speech it was.
- The source does not state a publication date for the column.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.