U.S., world's biggest deadbeat, should pay

Unless the United States pays at least $200 million of the $1.5 billion it owes the United Nations by Dec. 31, we will lose our General Assembly seat.

Although we would still keep our Security Council seat, being kicked out of the Assembly for nonpayment of debts would equate us with countries like Cambodia, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, and Iraq.

Considering the U.S. has the most stable, most successful economy in the world at the moment, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to pay off our debt.

In the aftermath of the Cold War, we have become increasingly reliant on coalitions, alliances, and multilateral cooperation to get things done. The U.S. has to realize we can't always get our way, just because we're a superpower.

In order to achieve our goals, we'll need to win back support the right way -- by paying our debt -- not by bulling smaller nations around.

We owe it to our allies in Europe and Japan who helped finance the Persian Gulf War to help support the United Nations. And as a global citizen, it's our duty; Congress shouldn't place conditions, like budget and staff cuts on the U.N. in order to pay what we owe.