The Foreign Service Journal, March 2011

60 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S CLASSIFIEDS from countries sending separate delega- tions to the United Nations and Wash- ington. “Countries shouldn’t have one set of rules in New York and another in D.C.,” he said. Still, he said, it is in the world’s inter- est to have a strong human rights arm at the United Nations. He noted that the U.S. has not needed to use its veto power for anti-Israel resolutions since 2006 be- cause they are not even permitted to get on the table. Multilateral diplomacy is rarely an easy path to solving problems, Schaefer noted. The more negotiating partners one has, themore difficult it is to find the source of any sticking points. Vote trad- ing and consensus-driven votes further complicate the process, he says. Iran and North Korea continue to flout U.N. res- olutions, while U.S. concerns about treaties often go ignored, he added. “It’s often a losing battle,”he said,“but it’s a battle that has to be fought.” Visions of Reform The Obama administration agrees that multilateral diplomacy is extremely difficult, Brimmer said. She stressed the value of reaching out to countries that are not just U.S. allies to make the case for what the U.S. believes in. But, she said, it’s also important to remain dili- gent about making international organ- izations work well. She acknowledged that the U.N. needs to face reform in key areas such as management and budgeting practices, but she argued that the best way to re- form an organization is to stay active within it. “It is our goal to strengthen the U.N., not tear it down,” she said. Schaefer, on the other hand, con- cluded that the U.S. shouldn’t assume it receives tangible benefits frommember- ship in each international organization. In any case, Schaefer argued, the U.S. doesn’t have to engage the U.N. to act multilaterally. He urged members of Congress to act as the “bad cop” to the State Department’s “good cop” in order to wield more influence in U.N. negoti- ations. Under the newly divided Congress, Carnahan pointed out, the U.S. can ex- pect to see some changes in the way the legislative branch approaches multilat- eral diplomacy. He added that he ex- pects Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the new chairwoman of the House For- eign Affairs Committee, to make changes, including greater oversight on waste, fraud and abuse. Despite the panelists’ differing visions in regard to the usefulness of interna- tional organizations, Brimmer declared that there are“really exciting opportuni- ties” for Foreign Service personnel in multilateral diplomacy right now. ❏ Multilateral Diplomacy • Continued from page 57 LEGAL SERVICES ATTORNEY WITH 30 years’ successful experience SPECIALIZING FULL-TIME IN FS GRIEVANCES will more than double your chance of winning: 30% of grievants win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my clients win. Only a private attorney can ad- equately develop and present your case, in- cluding necessary regs, arcane legal doctrines, precedents and rules. Call Bridget R. Mugane at Tel: (301) 596-0175 or (202) 387-4383. E-mail: fsatty@comcast.net Free initial telephone consultation WILLS/ESTATE PLANNING by attorney who is a former FSO. Have your will re- viewed and updated, or new one prepared: No charge for initial consultation. M. 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