President Trump has the power and weight of the United States to commandeer and steer the United Nations. It won’t be at his peril; leadership is critical in the body that hosts 193 member states. Not everyone has to love who is in charge, it’s more important that someone is leading the way. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, recently began her post at the UN. She made news when it was reported she said the US was “taking names.” Her sentiment communicated a strong desire on the part of the U.S. to find loyalty. The list of “names” real or not, was of those ‘that don’t have our backs‘.

But, maybe, the situation of the UN is such it’s impossible to tell who is helping who. By issuing the statement, Ambassador Haley will quickly learn about the other member states. Who is a sycophant and runs to them or who is simply not interested in being seen as someone who supports the U.S. None of the above would mean war but, instead, inform Ambassador Haley where she might concentrate her efforts? The U.N. is relevant, but it’s unlikely it’s the stage for the next squabble-turned war. In the end, on any issue, the U.N. vote as a body.

However, one nation that might have stepped up is Russia amid rhetoric that’s more positive than not as of late. In fact, Putin is now saying he and Russia at-large is the only country who believes in Donald Trump. But, one thing is clear from Putin’s statements. He wants to be in the POTUS’s good graces, and it’s not the other way around. POTUS Trump has made it clear that while he would like a good relationship, it’s not guaranteed. That is a different sentiment than Putin exclaiming, ‘we’re the only ones who knew he could do it.’ I wonder if Russia came running when Ambassador Haley said she was taking names. I also wonder if then Russia provided a list of names to her of ‘disloyal nations.’

Bottom line, the U.S. is still the pre-eminent world power and staple of leadership. Even though many leaders and our citizens alike are seemingly epileptic over the election of our current leadership that fact of our dominance hasn’t changed. So, for the time being – I’m not worried about our place in the world order. I hope the U.S. is an active participant at the UN and it seems like it may be the case. Ambassador Haley has already condemned Russian actions in Ukraine and taken a stance. I think that’s an indicator that we’ll retain our influence, and moral leadership at the UN. Although, as a side note, I’m concerned China might overreact to everything going on – including the errant tweets, but that’s another article to write.

Featured image courtesy of United Nations Association .