A Paper Tiger Gone Bad: A brief look at the post-Cold War history of the United Nations.

The Weekly Standard ^ | April 15, 2005 | Michael Brandon McClellan

[quidnunc]

While soon-to-be U.N. Ambassador John Bolton patiently endures rhetorical broadsides from Barbara Boxer, Joseph Biden, and their Senate colleagues for his alleged "disdain of the United Nations," it is worthwhile to pause and reflect on the merits and the track record of the U.N. security system. The United Nations is a diverse organization of many functions, but it was created for one primary purpose. As stated in the U.N. Charter's preamble, the organization was formed to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and to "maintain international peace and security." It is accordingly by such a standard that the United Nations' effectiveness must be judged.

United Nations enthusiasts often point to the fact that no general war between great powers has commenced during the U.N. era. Indeed, global conventional conflicts on the scale of World War I and World War II have not scarred the earth in the six decades since the writing of the U.N. Charter. While such restraint can be greatly attributed to the bipolarity of the Cold War, the deterrent effect of mutual assured destruction, and the subsequent emergence of American hegemony, proponents of the U.N. system can at least claim a correlative relation between the international body and the current enduring era of peace among the world's great powers.

Proponents of the UN can also point to the emergence of a global culture that condemns wars of aggression and imperialism. In the pre-World War I era, wars of limited expansion, such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, and ambitious land-grabs, such as the European "scramble for Africa," were seen as entirely legitimate. Today such actions would be nearly universally condemned. In the contemporary chorus of popular opinion, Otto von Bismarck's calculated wars would not be heralded as great statesmanship, but rather denounced as detestable aggression.

-snip-

[Nathan Zachary]

The UN has prevented nothing, in fact it has probably caused more small wars and genocide's by it's lack of action. Currently it's promoting antisemitism while trying to hide the truth of what Islam is, due to it being infested by Islamic dictators. The UN must be dismantled. It is corrupted beyond all hope. It doesn't even follow it's own charter, evident by the large number of non- democratic memberships.

[Fred Nerks]

How many employees? How much does it all cost? What do they do?


Alphabetic Index of Websites of the United Nations System of Organizations

http://www.unsystem.org/



United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) - New York, USA (e-mail)
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) (Preparatory Commision) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations CyberSchoolBus - New York, USA (e-mail)
Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) (now CEB) and its former Subcommittees


Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (e-mail)
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) - Santiago, Chile (e-mail)
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) - Bangkok, Thailand (e-mail)
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) - Beirut, Lebanon (e-mail


Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - Rome, Italy (e-mail)
Global Programme on Globalization, Liberalization and Sustainable Human Development - Geneva, Switzerland [UNCTAD-UNDP] (e-mail)
High Level Comittee on Management (HLCM) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
High Level Comittee on Programmes (HLCP) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
Former Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development (IACSD) - New York, USA (e-mail)
Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) (former IACWGE) - New York, USA (e-mail)
Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office (IAPSO) - Copenhagen, Denmark (e-mail)
Inter-Agency Working Group on Evaluation (IAWG) - New York, USA (e-mail)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) - Washington, USA [World Bank Group] (e-mail)
International Bureau of Education (IBE) - Geneva, Switzerland [UNESCO] (e-mail)
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) - Trieste, Italy [UNIDO] (e-mail)
International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS) - Trieste, Italy [UNIDO] (e-mail)
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) - Washington, USA [World Bank Group] (e-mail)
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) - Trieste, Italy [UNESCO/IAEA] (e-mail)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - Montreal, Canada (e-mail)
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) - New York, USA (e-mail)
International Computing Centre (ICC) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - The Hague, The Netherlands (e-mail)
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) - The Hague, The Netherlands (e-mail)
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) - Arusha, Tanzania (e-mail)
International Development Association (IDA) - Washington, USA [World Bank Group] (e-mail)
International Finance Corporation (IFC) - Washington, USA [World Bank Group] (e-mail)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - Rome, Italy (e-mail)
International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) - Paris, France [UNESCO] (e-mail)
International Institute on Ageing (INIA) - Valetta, Malta (e-mail)
International Labour Organization (ILO) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
International Maritime Organization (IMO) - London, UK (e-mail)
International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Washington, USA (e-mail)
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (e-mail)
International Seabed Authority (ISA) - Kingston, Jamaica (e-mail)
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
International Trade Centre (ITC) - Geneva, Switzerland [UNCTAD/WTO] (e-mail
International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC/ILO) - Turin, Italy (e-mail)


Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail
Joint Inter-Agency Meeting on Computer-Assisted Translation and Terminology (JIAMCATT) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)


Media and Peace Institute (University for peace) - Paris, France (e-mail)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) - Washington, USA [World Bank Group] (e-mail)
United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) - Geneva, Switzerland and New York, USA (e-mail)
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) - Geneva, Switzerland and New York, USA (e-mail)
Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - The Hague, The Netherlands (e-mail)


Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations, the Specialized Agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency - New York, USA (e-mail)
ReliefWeb - Geneva, Switzerland [OCHA] (e-mail)
United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN) (formely ACC Subcommittee on Nutrition) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)


United Nations (UN) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Atlas of the Oceans - Washington, USA
United Nations Board of Auditors - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Capital Development Fund - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Common Supplier Database (UNCSD) - Oslo, Norway (e-mail)
United Nations Communications Group (former JUNIC) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - Bonn, Germany (e-mail)
United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) (now UNODC)- Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Development Group (UNDG) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Paris, France (e-mail)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - Nairobi, Kenya (e-mail)
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - Bonn, Germany (e-mail)
United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Geographic Information Working Group (UNGIWG) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the (OHCHR) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the (UNHCR) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)- Nairobi, Kenya (e-mail)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UNICT TF) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations International School (UNIS) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) - Rome, Italy (e-mail
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Mine Action Service - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (formely UNDCP) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) - Nairobi, Kenya (e-mail)
United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - New York, USA (e-mail)
United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) - Vienna, Austria (e-mail)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) - Gaza, Gaza Strip and Amman, Jordan (e-mail)
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
United Nations Resident Coordinators Network (RCNet) - New York, USA (e-mail)
UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security - Rome, Italy [FAO/IFAD] (e-mail)
United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) - Turin, Italy (e-mail)
United Nations University (UNU) - Tokyo, Japan (e-mail)
United Nations Volunteers (UNV) - Bonn, Germany (e-mail)
Universal Postal Union (UPU) - Bern, Switzerland (e-mail)
University for Peace (UPEACE) - San Jose, Costa Rica (e-mail)


WomenWatch - New York, USA (e-mail)
World Bank Group - Washington, USA (e-mail)
World Food Programme (WFP) - Rome, Italy (e-mail)
World Health Organization (WHO) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
World Tourism Organization - Madrid, Spain (e-mail)
World Trade Organization (WTO) - Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail)
World Volunteer Web - Bonn, Germany [UNV] (e-mail)