SOCY 100 Zhejiang University US Involvement in the UN Discussion Questions

Discussion: U.S. Involvement in the U.N.

Read the following 2 articles, plus the module’s “SOCY 100 Week 11 PPT”, then answer the following:

History of the U.N.

Funding of the United Nations: What Impact Do U.S. Contributions Have on U.N. Agencies & Programs?

1. Identify an article on a recent development regarding the relationship between the U.S. & U.N. (e.g., tensions over global warming/climate change, peacekeeping missions, monies to sexual and reproductive health services…). Share the link with us, providing a summary of the situation.

2. What is your take on the power and influence the United States has on issues taken on by the U.N.?

3. How are other nations reacting to this situation between the U.S. and U.N.?

4. Consider the world as an interdependent organism, as discussed in our PPT. What allows the U.N. to work together easily? What poses challenges? Consider the common purposes at play, social problems caused by globalization and glocalization, and the social capital involved in being a part of the U.N.

5. How do you feel about the role of the United States in the U.N.? What kind of role should the U.S. have, if any? What kind of struggle does the U.S., or any nation, for that matter, face in its balance of self-reliance vs. interdependence?

6. Is the U.S. a technocratic-financial-managerial elite of sorts when it comes to the U.N.? Is it approaching the U.N. as an oligarchy? Support your position.