This essay acknowledges, however, that not all UN failures during the Cold War were caused by the East-West division but also by other deep divisions between states, such as between Israel and its neighbouring countries. ![]() A brief general overview of the UN System is given, followed by a more focused analysis of cases in which the UN was said to have been used as a superpower tool, such as Korea and the Congo. This essay argues that while the UN did not achieve its ultimate goal of maintaining peace and security throughout the Cold War (and still has not done so until today), it was more successful in fields such as decolonization and human rights. It would, however, be inaccurate to say that all of the UN’s actions throughout the Cold War were merely caused by superpower leverage. Indeed, on several occasions it can be said that the SC was used as a tool of superpower influence. Due to the rigid structure of the UN that was intended to maintain the status quo of the international world order, the Security Council (SC) often found itself in a stalemate situation, unable to act efficiently. ![]() Yet, during the Cold War collective security was going to fail once again, as most of the world was divided into two blocs. – Dag Hammarskjöld (cited in Weiss and Kalbacher, 2008: 342)Īfter the failure of the League of Nations, the establishment of the United Nations was the second attempt at creating a collective security system within only a few decades. The purpose of the UN is not to get us to heaven but to save us from hell.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |