UN-U.S. Relations, 2007: The Role of the United States in the UN*

On May 7, 2007, the NCAFP hosted a one-day roundtable featuring two consecutive closed-door roundtables with academic, practitioner, and media specialists. It was followed by an early evening panel at which members discussed candidly how the United Nations reacts to and copes with U.S. power. Off-the-record sessions allowed for a free and frank exchange of ideas. The roundtable considered UN perspectives on the U.S. role in the organization with only tangential references to the broader question of the role of the UN in the U.S. strategic equation. The deliberations reflected a diversity of views: some points of widespread and substantive consensus and other areas in which significant discord remains. Respecting the reservations expressed by the latter, the report concludes with the NCAFP's recommendations for enhancing the U.S. presence in the UN in the spirit of the former.