I will tell you, Senator, that I am skeptical too about the wisdom of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Somalia at this time.

President-elect Obama has called for us to 'invest in our common humanity.'

We can't do everything by ourselves.

I will be very energetic in doing so.

The United States has a very significant interest in helping Haiti to become a more stable democracy.

We need to lead from a position of moral strength in order to bring others along with us.

The other half of the challenge, though, Mr. Chairman, is that of will, political will.

The President-elect has said very forcefully that that is a great threat to the United States, to Israel, and to the region.

The fact that more than 1 year after the force was established the crucial U.N. mission in Darfur is only at half-strength is patently unacceptable.

You have been an ardent champion of a principled U.S. foreign policy to ensure this country's security and prosperity.

President-elect Obama believes that the United States should pay our dues to the U.N. in full and on time.

What do you really realistically believe can be done so that under the Obama administration this will be different?

I believe we stand now at yet another defining moment--one in which the peoples and nations of the world must find both the will and more effective means to cooperate, if we are to counter the urgent global threats that face us all.

The cost to the U.S. of inaction by us or others can often be enormous.

The U.N. can do the same job in peacekeeping for about 12 cents on the dollar.

The United States should pay its U.N. dues, including our peacekeeping assessment, on time and in full.

President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden, Secretary-designate Clinton and I have been very clear and forceful in our condemnation of the genocide in Sudan and in our commitment to far more robust actions to try and end it.

We need them to work with us and others to bring the necessary pressure to bear on that regime so that the Zimbabwean peoples' suffering can finally end.

The United Nations offers us: An imperfect, but indispensible vehicle to share those burdens.

No U.S. administration will ever and could ever cede sovereignty to an international body or indeed to any other institution.

The United States has fought for, and under President-elect Obama will remain committed to, increasing transparency within the United Nations system.

It is important to use the United Nations as a vehicle to promote peace and stability.

The goal of our diplomacy at the United Nations must be to make it a more perfect forum to address the most pressing global challenges: to promote peace, to support democracy, and to strengthen respect for human rights.

the actions and decisions of an international body will never and do never override our own Constitution and national law.

But lasting security that would encourage the displaced to return to and rebuild their homes cannot be achieved without a comprehensive political solution that enfranchises and empowers the people of Darfur.