Ben Cardin

Because we have assumed greater burdens, we have even greater burdens.

We subsequently paid a high domestic and international price for intervening in Iraq without the support and blessing of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

What the accountability mechanism is whereby there can be some healing or truth telling and punishment for those who committed the worst violations

It is infuriating--infuriating--to have the lack of transparency that exists at the U.N.

It is hard for me to understand why our assessment on the peacekeeping is 28.36 percent, if I am correct, which is almost three times higher than the next country and is significantly higher than our general allocation for the U.N. budget.

It is hard to imagine sustained public support for a hypothetical situation wherein U.S. combat units were deployed to five or 10 peacekeeping operations abroad.

The possible military dimensions piece, we thought they might get a D-. They got an F.

Do they have the will to go in and stand in front of civilians to protect them? We have not seen that.

But you have to follow through on it, and it has to be done in a way that the international community, the activists, those who are following this, can be confident that those who are responsible have truly been held accountable, so that…

It seems to me that we have not been as effective as we need to in the transparency and reform within the United Nations process.

But if we were to put it a U.N. reform bill on the floor of the United States Senate, the type of amendments that would be offered and the types of potential restrictions on U.S. participation in the United Nations, getting a majority…

It is my understanding that the difference between 22 percent and 28 percent is not our share in the global economy.

I think a lot of us share that frustration. I would just urge us to work with our European allies on the timing of a response to the violation of the ballistic missiles.

As the largest contributor to the United Nations and as the permanent member on the U.N. Security Council, the United States has a responsibility to ensure that the United Nations uphold the highest standards of professionalism in…

I have long believed the United Nations at its best can be a powerful partner of the United States, advancing global peace and security for far less cost and more effectively than if we act alone.

MCC partners must demonstrate a commitment to ruling justly, investing in their people, and supporting democratic rights.

What has made the MCC successful has been its unwavering commitment to the principles upon which it was founded--democracy, rule of law, good governance, and transparency.

I think there is greater understanding today about the importance of development assistance.

I would just point out by comparison, we are looking--this committee is looking at global standards on fighting corruption.

I do hope that you would be more aggressive because to me, this is one of the most difficult areas, that fight for good governance.

Long-term development requires focus and discipline. It cannot and should not be an instrument of day-to-day diplomatic engagement.

Senator Coons has been talking a good deal about projects in those regions where we have compact countries individual.

I am a strong supporter of MCC. I think it has been responsible for not only dealing with poverty issues, but also dealing with good governance issues and dealing with important security issues.

It seems to me that the MCC could be helpful in that regard.

It has worked extremely well during this period of time, and I think by all accounts it has been given a very high grade for developing the type of economic growth in these countries that will sustain our values.