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There is not one United Nations, but three. The US influence over the UN must be thought of as being in three parts.

The UN is practically divided into the Security Council, the General Assembly and the UN staff. At the General Assembly, the US has a veto. And through strong lobbying and economic pressure, it can often sway the vote of the non-permanent members. Still, the US has used its veto on far more often than any other country on occasions when the vote would have gone against them, a clear sign of power without influence.

In the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, the vote frequently goes against the US position by a wide margin. For example, a 1981 resolution calling for a "Nuclear-free Middle East" was supported by 107 countries, with the US alone voting against. A 1982 proposal to end racial segregation in sport was supported by 134 nations, with the US alone against. A 1989 proposal "Opposing the acquisition of territory by force" received 151 votes for, with the US against. Clearly, in the General Assembly the US has little influence, and with no veto, no power.

Finally, the US influence over the UN Staff can be summed up by Scott Ritter. This former US Navy Marine commander and staunch US patriot went to work for the UN as a weapons inspector in Iraq. Witnessing US interference and clandestine obstruction of the UN, he turned against his nation's policy and now campaigns vocally against it. It seems that the US cannot even maintain influence over its own citizens on the UN staff.

With this little influence in the UN, it is little wonder that the US continues to seek 'unilateral' action outside of the UN.

Learn more about this author, Mark Sugrue.
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