The United Nations: Still Necessary

By Megan Stanley and Kyle Richardson, QMUN Committee Members


The establishment of the United Nations following World War II marked a new chapter in human history. Mindful of the failures of the League of Nations, the United Nations was constructed to be a more efficient and effective body for maintaining world peace and security. This mandate became essential as the ensuing Cold War carved up the world into two ideologically opposed camps, increasing the likelihood of global conflict. In this uneasy and hostile climate, the U.N. emerged to protect the lives of all who would be sacrificed in another World War. With the resources at its disposal and the constrictions of its mandate, the U.N. as an institution has been successful in its goal to maintain peace and prevent large scale conflict.

The U.N. has developed over time to better answer the short and long term demands of maintaining peace and security. Short term missions require that hostile elements are neutralized and peaceful institutions are restored relatively quickly.  UNTAC in Cambodia executed this type of operation. The U.N. sent a force of approximately 22,000 to disarm and neutralize the factions vying for power in a civil war. The operation concluded when free and fair elections were held and a new government set in place, inaugurating a new era of stability. In contrast, long term peacekeeping requires more preventative measures to be taken. U.N. refugee and humanitarian aid is donated to regions where poverty and resource scarcity put populations abandoned by their government at risk of conflict. In Chad, ­320,000 refugees have escaped militant persecution in the Sudan by fleeing to UN refugee camps. Moreover, the U.N. actively works to resettle refugees in other countries such as the United States. Long term solutions are not always easily achieved as the U.N. must obey the respect for national sovereignty laid out in the charter. In these types of situations, the U.N. is only mandated to assist civilian populations upon an official request for assistance.

Mitigating conflict does not always require direct intervention. The maintenance of peace and security between global superpowers during the Cold War required debate instead of military force. During the Cuban Missile Crisis when military action appeared likely, American and Soviet ambassadors fought for the affirmation of the U.N. and its member states “in the court of world opinion.” This represented the first time in the post Cold War era where debate rather than combat was used to gain legitimacy. That legitimacy was reaffirmed when the U.S. asked the global community in a general assembly to support its declaration of war against Iraq. As these instances show, a U.N. resolution has become synonymous with the approval of the international community. This encourages nations to seek consent before taking unilateral action, making military action less likely.  

Critiques are typically based on inappropriate expectations of the U.N. as an international organization. The U.N has long been criticized for its inadequate responses to highly publicized conflicts. However, the perceived failings of the U.N. are not failings of the institution, but rather the failings of member states to agree on an effective solution. The U.N works on consensus building and adheres to the realities of geopolitics rather than unilateral action. Furthermore, the financial resources allocated to the U.N amount approximately to fifteen to twenty billion dollars annually. In comparison to the funds spent by individual nations on waging war, the task of preventing global conflict is vastly underfunded.  Therefore, with its mandate and limited finances, expectations of the United Nations to supersede the member states it represents are unrealistic.

The United Nations has and continues to work as an organization dedicated to maintaining peace and security. It is continuously challenged by certain member states and financial restrictions, but has been successful on a number of levels. The U.N has adopted effective short and long term means of conflict prevention and resolution. It is an organization that constantly seeks to provide the best solutions to a wide variety of regional and global conflicts. Our understanding of the United Nations must incorporate the scope of its mandate and the limitations of its resources.