New US Ambassador Nikki Haley strutted into the UN on Friday with a blunt message to American allies: “For those who don’t have our backs, we’re taking names.”The former South Carolina governor made the remark to reporters as she arrived at the world body’s headquarters in Manhattan to present her credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN and the way that we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well,” she said.
“For those that don’t have our back, we’re taking names, we will make points to respond to that accordingly,” President Trump’s envoy said.
Haley, who has little foreign policy and no US federal government experience, said that at the US Mission to the organization, “You are gonna see a change in the way we do business. It’s no longer about working harder, it’s about working smarter.”
She said Trump wants her to put “fresh eyes” on the UN.
“Everything that’s working, we’re going to make it better,” she said. “Everything that’s not working we’re going to try to fix, and anything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary we’re going to do away with.”
She then hopped on an elevator and went to the 38th floor to meet Guterres, who became UN chief on Jan. 1. They then went into his office for a private sit-down.
The rising GOP star sailed through Senate confirmation hearings with wide bipartisan support, on a vote of 96-4.
The Trump administration’s approach to the 193-member world organization has been a topic of frenzied diplomatic talks, speculation and concern. There have been reports that the White House is poised to demand major cutbacks in UN agencies and personnel in slashing Washington’s financial contributions to the organization.
| And we can ask the rest of the developed world to contribute more to the upkeep of the saintly UN bureaucracy... |
But in response to reports that the administration may push for funding cuts for crucial UN programs, Delattre gave an analysis of the US role at the UN that demonstrated how dramatically the country has pivoted since Trump’s election.
“As France’s ambassador to Washington in the early 2000s, my key message to the White House was basically, ‘Let us breathe. Don’t micromanage the world,’ ” he told reporters, CNN reported.
“A few years later, our main message to the American administration is, ‘Please stay committed to world affairs, because we need America,’” he said.
| Damned if we do, damned if we don't... |