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United Nations Failture

Essay by   •  April 13, 2011  •  5,052 Words (21 Pages)  •  1,218 Views

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After the end of World War II, The United Nations (UN) was formed on October 24, 1945 after the UN Charter was approved by fifty-one member states (Sanjuan 15). The day is now internationally celebrated yearly as United Nations Day. Furthermore, there are at present 192 members of the UN, thus, making the organization the largest in an effort to promote world stability (BBC 2006). They members also all meet in the General Assembly which is the nearest entity to a world legislature (Sanjuan 18). Large or small, rich or poor, each country has there own vote, however, none of the verdicts taken by the Assembly are obligatory (Sanjuan 18). Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions become resolutions that support the burden of world governmental opinion (Sanjuan 18). Moreover, The United Nations Headquarters is in New York City but the actual grounds and structures of it are on international districts (Sanjuan 25). The United Nations also has its own post office, postage stamps, and flag (BBC 2006). Six languages are also officially used at the United Nations, Chinese, French, Russian, English, Spanish, and Arabic (For the Record 07). The UN European Headquarters is in the Place of Nations as which is known as Geneva, Switzerland (For the Record 07). It also has offices in Vienna, Austria and economic committees in Jordan, Bangkok, Chile and Ethiopia (For the Record 07). Furthermore, The United Nations was established with the objectives of stabilizing peace through international cooperation and united security (Sanjuan 37). It was also established with the goals of preventing another world war by advocating and boosting respect for human rights and for basic freedoms for all (Sanjuan 37). Likewise, The United Nations four chief goals are to keep international relations happy, promote human rights and equality, increase the amount of justice in the world, and to keep peace and prevent war (For the Record 07). However, still existing fifty-seven years later this organization has become nothing but chaotic (Sanjuan 39). Up to date, the UN has faced criticism of its peacekeeping forces, declining funds and the apathy of numerous major nations (Sanjuan 208). Most of the UN's problems arise from the general lack of respect for its effort which people are left questioning (Sanjuan 39). "The United Nations is so radically defective that it is incapable of establishing world order; truth be told, not only has the UN failed [to achieve its peacekeeping objectives], but it was always bound ... to fail" (Shawn 56). At first, it appears that this is part of the many present-day debates about the effectiveness of the UN as the main peacemaker of the international community. In fact, this corresponds to one of the view points stated in August 1947, after the failure of the first and only round of negotiations regarding to the establishment of a international army under UN command (Sanjuan 108). Since then, the controversy about the role of the United Nations in upholding global security has remained an ubiquitous issue, with leading political personas challenging the consistency, and fundamental principles of the establishment (Sanjuan 118). The United Nations has noticeably done more damaged than helping out as it limits the amount of freedom a country has because they have to take part in the organization (Sanjuan 123). There have also been more wars in the world since the raise of the UN than ever before in the past (Shawn 83). Most parts of the war torn such as Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe (Shawn 88). Similarly, secretary-general Kofi Annan was awarded the Nobel peace prize just before 9/11, however, since then the UN has failed to prevent war in Iraq and Afghanistan (BBC 2006). Furthermore, as a way to bring peace to the world and help those in need The United Nations has a commitment to human rights with The Declaration of Human Rights which was also established in 1948 (For the Record 09). This declaration protects the right to life, independence, freedom of opinion, speech, movement, expression, and so on. It also prohibits suffering and cruel degrading treatment of human beings (For the Record 09). This declaration as well supports the essential right of all people without discrimination to enjoy and to freely make full use ones natural wealth and other resources (For the Record 09). Unfortunately, this declaration in print is not reality as half the world's 6 billion population is poor, and well over one billion live on less than $1 a day (UNICEF 2006). There are also around 15 million refugees and 20 million displaced people (UNICEF 2006). Freedom of movement is refused to the many thousands of people deported from countries all over the world (UNICEF 2006). Additionally, The Declaration of the Rights of the Child which was also established a few years later in 1959, like many other sincere UN declarations, stands hostile to the exploitation and abuse of children and for funds to be devoted to the welfare and education for children (For the Record 10). Yet, once again this declaration is not loving up to its goal as 80 percent of the world's refugees and displaced people are women and children (UNICEF 2006). There are also 300,000 child prostitutes in the US alone which is the richest country in the world (UNICEF 2006). And there are approximately 300,000 child soldiers, a third of whom are in Africa (UNICEF 2006). Furthermore, the United Nations greatest means in trying to prevent human right violations internationally is through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the implementation of this pronouncement however, has failed numerously to bring international peace and prevent massive human tragedies in Rwanda, Darfur, and Srebrenica-Bosnia.

Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of just seven million people, and consists of two main ethnic groups, the Tutsis and the Hutus (BBC 2007). Although the Hutus make up 90 percent of the population, the Tutsi minority, however, is considered the upper classes of Rwanda and in the past have controlled Hutu farmers for ages, especially while Rwanda was under Belgian colonial rule (BBC 2007). Following independence from Belgium in 1962, the Tutsis in Rwanda used the state to subjugate Hutus in the city of Burundi (BBC 2007). However, once the Hutus gained power, murder and prejudice persisted through the rebellion organized by multiple Hutu leaders. Meanwhile, Hutus gained independence of after a long period of Tutsi dominance under Belgian rule (BBC 2007). The Hutus used government power to dominate the Tutsi population during the next two decades, and as a result, over 200,000 Tutsis fled to neighboring countries and formed a rebel guerrilla army, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (BBC 2007). After suffering a utter genocide, the Tutsis eventually came back to power and, by using the political system taken over from their ancestors, terrorized

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