The United Nations also took action to reform and improve its peacekeeping capabilities. Secretary General Kofi Annan requested that an independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations assess the shortcomings of the existing system and make specific recommendations for change.

Peace-building involves a wide variety of expertise, resources and work by different organizations.

Traditional peacekeeping was not the full answer. Statistically, nearly half of all countries in conflict slid back into conflict within five years.

For many months the US was standoffish from this reform process, which is odd, since reform of the United Nations is a US priority. What the US is finding once again is that as maddening as it can be, the UN is a necessary forum for us - and it will work better if we work to get certain changes done.

Efforts to reform the United Nations were a complete failure despite making massive investments, and ties with Asia, including China and South Korea, are in tatters.

Today's modest action starts the long march to start to reform the tax breaks as they relate to the oil industry, and limits these incentives to the smaller oil companies that actually need the help the most,