United Nations

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer points out that in order for one to determine whether or not the United Nations has been successful at accomplishing its goals, one must look to the advantages and disadvantages of the United Nations. Further the writer notes that to do so, one must look at the United Nations' peacekeeping capabilities, arms control and disarmament policies, human rights work and humanitarian aid. The writer also discusses how those policies have been applied to member and non-member nations. The writer concludes that in order to move the United Nation towards its goals of bringing peace and improving the quality of life of all people, the United Nations may need to undergo a restructuring, which would make the United Nations more likely to intervene on behalf of citizens in less influential nations.

From the Paper:

"One of the main critiques of the League of Nations, which was the predecessor to the United Nations, was that it had no power to enforce its recommendations. Therefore, a relative advantage of the United Nations is that it has the authority to send troops to locations where violence is threatened. This power is referred to as peacekeeping. According to the Human Security Centre, the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts appear to have resulted in a less violence world by eliminating colonial conflicts, reducing interstate wars, and reducing genocide and politicide. In fact, the most powerful testament to the United Nations' peacekeeping ability is the fact that there has not been a third world war. However, it would be inaccurate to simply label the United Nation's peacekeeping power solely as an advantage, because history has revealed that it has not been applied consistently. For example, the United Nations has either been reluctant to use its peacekeeping powers to aid people in Africa, or has proven woefully unsuccessful when it has attempted to do so."

Sample of Sources Used:

• AFP. (2006). Sudan reiterates opposition to UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Retrieved November 9, 2006 from Yahoo! NewsWeb site: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061109/wl_africa_afp/skoreasudanun_061109190806
• Human Rights Watch. (2004). Leave none to tell the story: genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved November 9, 2006, from HRW.orgWeb site: http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/
• Human Security Centre. (2005). Human security report. Retrieved November 9, 2006, fromThe Human Security CentreWeb site: http://www.humansecurityreport.info/content/view/28/63/
• MedicineNet. (2006). Definition of World Health Organization. Retrieved November 9, 2006, from Medicine NetWeb site: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11087

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