Foreign Aid and Defense Alliances

How is the United States working with the United Nations? The United States holds a permanent seat in the Security Council. Although there are 192 members of the UN, the United States pays more than 20 percent of the UN budget. At times, the United States has criticized some decisions of the UN and has withheld money. Even so, the United States still works closely with the UN to aid needy countries.

Biography Carol Bellamy (1942-) Carol Bellamy has a long history of helping others. In 1995, she was named executive director of UNICEF. As director, she challenges world leaders to use national resources for the benefit of children. Before joining UNICEF, Bellamy was the director of the Peace Corps, another group that helps developing countries. She was the first former Peace Corps volunteer to head UNICEF. Bellamy has worked as a banker and a lawyer on Wall Street and was the first woman elected head of the New York City Council. Bellamy also served in the New York state senate from 1973 to 1977.

What is the United Nations? The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that was established in 1945. After World War II ended, the Allies wanted to help ensure that no such war could ever happen again. Fifty countries met in California to write a charter that listed the basic principles of the United Nations. The United States was the first to ratify the charter. The document said that the United Nations would help keep peace in the world. It would help develop friendly relations among nations and protect human rights. Today, the UN has 192 member nations.

How is the United Nations organized? The United Nations has six main divisions. The first is the General Assembly. The General Assembly has been called "the town meeting of the world." Every UN member has a seat and a vote in the Assembly. It meets once a year in New York City. The second part of the UN is the Security Council. It has 15 members and is responsible for keeping peace around the world. It often provides forces to keep violence from breaking out in trouble spots. The Economic and Security Council is made up of 54 members elected by the General Assembly. It carries out the UN's economic, cultural, educational, and health activities.

The 15-member United Nations (UN) division that has the authority to provide peacekeeping forces is the _____.

Security Council

How does the United Nations work? The United Nations acts as a mediator between countries and groups within countries that are having disagreements. The UN can place sanctions, or trade limits, on countries that break rules. The United Nations can call on member countries to send troops to act as peacekeepers in troubled areas. The Security Council must vote on these actions. Nine of the 15 member countries of the Security Council must agree before an action is taken.

The UN also tries to help poor nations, improve world health and the environment, and address issues related to human rights. The UN has many agencies that help to achieve its goals. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is concerned with ending hunger in countries around the world. The goal of the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is to end extreme poverty. The World Bank Group supports programs that fight poverty and improve living conditions in developing nations. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was created after World War II to provide food, clothing, and healthcare to children in Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports health around the world.

What is foreign aid? The United States has long helped other countries with money, food, and other supplies. This foreign aid began before the United States entered World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt started the Lend-Lease program to help Great Britain. Great Britain needed war supplies to fight Nazi Germany, but it had no money. In return for the supplies, Britain leased land to the United States. This land was to be used for air and naval bases abroad. As the war went on, Lend-Lease was extended to other countries. The United States has sent more than $500 billion in aid to foreign countries since World War II.

The United States also helped European allies rebuild after World War II. Under the Marshall Plan, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the United States gave $13 billion in foreign aid. This money helped people in 16 nations in Western Europe from 1948 to 1952. Today, the United States continues to provide military aid to foreign countries. Since the 1950s, the largest amount of aid has gone to Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Most aid is given to countries that are critical to United States foreign policy. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works with the Department of State and the Department of Agriculture to handle aid programs.

How did the Lend-Lease program benefit the United States?

The United States received land for military bases in exchange for aid.

What are security alliances? Since World War II, the United States has built many regional security alliances, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO promotes peace and provides a common defense against military attacks. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the countries of Eastern Europe joined NATO. NATO now has 26 members.

The members of NATO have agreed that an attack against one or more of them will be considered an attack against them all. In 2001, the United Nations created a military force made up of many nations. This military is called the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). NATO now commands the ISAF. Today, the ISAF includes more than 40,000 troops from 37 nations. Membership in NATO has extended beyond Western Europe with the addition of several nations that were once part of the Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc.

The Trusteeship Council was formed to oversee the world's trust territories. All eleven trust territories are now able to govern themselves, so this council is no longer needed. The council exists in name only. The last two UN divisions are the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Secretariat. The ICJ acts as the World Court. It has 15 judges and handles cases brought by both members and nonmembers. The Secretariat is headed by the secretary-general, who manages the staff of 9,000 people who do the daily work of the UN.

What are the six divisions of the United Nations? A) the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat

The United States is a partner in many other security alliances around the world. The Organization of American States is a group of nations from North, Central, and South America. It tries to promote policies that improve economic and social development in the Americas. The United States, Canada, and 32 Latin American countries signed the Rio Pact in 1947. The treaty commits those nations to defending one another against attacks and settling their arguments peacefully. Cuba is not part of this agreement. The United States also has alliances with Japan and Korea. The Japanese Pact of 1951 commits the United States to protecting Japan. In return, the Japanese allow the United States to keep military forces in and around its territory. Another treaty, the ANZUS pact, was signed in 1951. It joined the United States, Australia, and New Zealand in an alliance that covers the South Pacific.

Which best describes the main purpose of NATO today? A)to keep the peace and provide a common defense

A needy country is experiencing an outbreak of a deadly disease. Which United Nations agency is most likely to respond?

the World Health Organization (WHO)

What is the goal of UNESCO?

to end extreme poverty

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

to rebuild Western Europe after World War II