The United Nations

Thesis: The role of the United Nations has changed from being primarily an international peacekeeping force to primarily a humanitarian organization.

Thesis: The role of the United Nations has changed from being primarily an international peacekeeping force to primarily a humanitarian organization.

While conventions have been in place since WWII to define war crimes and genocide and allow prosecution of those who commit these acts, the United Nations response to these atrocities has been sporadic and disorganized. The massacre in Srebrenica shined a spotlight on the failures of the international community to prevent mass atrocities. We needed an international guideline to systematically and effectively respond to civil war and intrastate conflict. Out of this was born the idea of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

“ Here is a task truly of, by and for the world, one that should rally nations. The nature of this task however, must be clearly understood; only then can suitable means for accomplishing it be formulated, only then can the role that the United Nations could and should play be appreciated” ( Wilcox/Haviland, 29). There are many international organizations that have been talked about throughout this semester. One of the most important ones is The United Nations. The United Nations was established October 24, 1945, and has since then been impacting the country. The United Nations main purpose according to the lecture notes is “ to provide a global additional structure through which states can sometimes settle conflicts with less reliance on the use of force , for whole purpose of the United Nations is to provide the globe a forum by which countries may settle disputes through this forum peacefully as opposed to relying on a force which has been the case historically” ( Kopalyan, Module 8). Thus meaning The United Nations was set up to handle problems peacefully rather than going to war to try and solve problems. “Powerful economic as well as political forces are at work to bring about a growing integration of the world community, and the United Nations and its related agencies are uniquely fitted to assist in the task” (Wilcox/Haviland,45). This was some of the reason that the United Nations was created.

The United Nations, with its rigid moral and political limitations against force, has become a benchmark of peace and a social achievement of modern times. From war torn Europe, the United Nations developed from five major powers with an initial goal to prevent the spread of warfare through peaceful means and to establish and maintain fundamental human rights. Through the past fifty years, this organization has broadened its horizons with auxiliary organizations from peace keeping missions to humanitarian aid, to economic development. However, in a modern example of ethnic cleansing, the UN faces new a new role as a bystander as its power is bypassed by NATO forces. The UN, however, promises to be an

Neocolonialism describes how, after World War II, colonial powers started using economics i.e. lending and interest rates, to control former colonies and cultivate new areas, thereby creating political, economic and social dependencies.

Around the time of November 2013 the United States received reports of a possible war threat from North Korea with nuclear weapons they posses. Sources say they are working on a KN-08 missile, an intercontinental range weapon which has the potential threat to target America. Russia on March 2014 threaten Ukrainian forces with a full-scale attack towards their country, if they refuse to lower their weapons and surrender for the take over of Crimea. Since in 1991, the Soviet Union went to a complete collapse, Russia began efforts to claiming the island Crimea from Ukraine, as part of their country once again. Iran which is one of the most disliked country in the world, has its extreme hatred for mainly the United States and Israel. In the

Neocolonialism describes how, after World War II, colonial powers started using economics i.e. lending and interest rates, to control former colonies and cultivate new areas, thereby creating political, economic and social dependencies.

The ´Responsibility to Protect´ (R2P) concept first came about in a 2001 report from the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), which was set up after, then Secretary General, Kofi Annan, said there needed to be some a change in the United Nations charter regarding military forces in humanitarian interventions. This came following the criticism of the NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999. The report further evolved into the concept that was approved in the UN’s General Assembly in 2005 (Evans 2014; Zyberi and Mason n.d. 2013: 7, 513). In 2009 the UN confirmed a continued endorsement of R2P under the formula of ‘three pillars and four crimes’ (Zyberi and Mason n.d. 2013: 10). The main issue with R2P has

The contemporary world is plagued with intra-state conflicts, struggles over power and territory, and economic crises. As a result, since the end of the Cold War the international community has been providing various forms of assistance and response to conflict-affected countries. ‘Peace-oriented’ initiatives exhibit how international organisations such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union or other donor agencies see themselves as the enablers of sustainable peace. They believe in something called ‘liberal peace’ – a notion that certain types of society, namely liberal democracies, tend to be more peaceful in their domestic and mutual affairs. In consequence, international organisations and liberal states believe that only

The United Nations peacekeeping forces were first used in 1948 to assist in Kashmir and Palestine. It is not mentioned in detail in the United Nations (UN) Charter this practise that later become known as peacekeeping , the word was formally used then during the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis in Egypt. The United Nations is increasingly criticised on the effectiveness of its peacekeeping mission, according to authors of the International Herald Tribune Shaukat Aziz and Luis Dias Diogo “The UN has the noblest of all mandates which is peace and human progress and prosperity”. But according to author Blanchfield L. “The UN has been slow to implement reforms and that linking payment of US assessments to progress on UN reform is the most effective way to motivate member states to efficiently pursue comprehensive reform”.

In February of 2011, the popular protests that had spread across the Arab world in a matter of weeks reached Libya. Libya’s Arab Spring was among the most violent. Peaceful protests that began on the 15thof February in the eastern city of Benghazi quickly escalated to violent reprisals by the government of Moammar Gaddafi. The crackdown by the Gaddafi regime was met with violent opposition and within days rebel groups forming in the east took the city of Benghazi and began to force the military westward. Libya’s Civil War continued for eight months and with the help of NATO air forces the rebels succeeded in taking the capitol of Tripoli in September, effectively ending the Gaddafi regime’s 42-year rule.

Each of the 193 Member States of the United Nations is a member of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

There are several humanitarian wars took place after the Cold War. It is refers to military action for humanitarian purpose. It occurs when a country is facing massive killings or violation of human rights. Troops responsible for humanitarian purpose called peacekeeping team. It is controversial as it involves the contradiction between human right and sovereignty. In most cases, reason of sending troops for humanitarian intervention is at the time when human rights and principle of Self-Determination are violated. But, opposition countries argued that the action is violating international law of sovereignty like the Charter of the United Nation (UN) Article 2(7) which is the principle of non-interference. In addition, the

The United Nation was created to replace the League of Nations as the main international body for the promotion of world peace; the United Nation has, for the most part, lived up to its mission. The UN charter established six main institutions, one being the Security Council. The United Nations Security Council is of unique importance and authority--functioning to maintain peace and international security, solving international problems and promoting respect for human rights. Yet, the original goals of multilateral diplomacy and world peace, goals which were to be exemplified by the Security council, no longer reflect the balance of power in the world, and therefore can no longer be the sole authority on what is in the best interest of the