United States Policy on United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations

On June 17, 1992, U.N. Secretary-General Boutrous-Ghali called for member states to make forces available for U.N. peace-keeping operations. The United States should accept this invitation and prepare to contribute troops to operations sanctioned by the Security Council for four reasons. First, even as the world becomes a smaller place, it remains a dangerous place. Regional wars, ethnic and border conflicts, and terrorist states continue to threaten U.S. tourists, investments, trade, and embassies.

Moreover, if such conflicts are not prevented or promptly ended, the United States ultimately will incur tremendous costs as we fund relief operations and refugee programs, and as we tailor our foreign policy to meet the instability and insecurity that come with international chaos. Just as we would not want to live in a local community that had no police force, so we cannot live in a world community that has no police force.