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The formation and structure of the O.N.U.

Wouldn't it be great if every time a war was about to break out, the nations involved
could just sit down and talk about their differences? No guns would be fired, no
soldiers dying in the dirt. What if one non-involved nation opted to be the mediator
and help the countries involved in tension find a peaceful resolution? In some ways,
that is the concept behind the United Nations. The United Nations, often called the
U.N., is an international peacekeeping organization aimed at promoting harmony
between nation-states and preventing war.
Now, I realize the idea of countries refraining from war and instead sitting down to
talk out their differences sounds a bit idealistic, and you're right; it is. The U.N.
certainly has not been successful in preventing war 100% of the time. There have
been numerous conflicts since the U.N. was founded in 1945. Vietnam comes to
mind, as do the Arab-Israeli Wars and the Indo-Pakistani Wars. That said, we need
to recognize the important role the U.N. has played (and continues to play) in postWorld War II geopolitics.
The underlying principle behind the formation of the United Nations is collective
security. Under a collective security arrangement, a host of nations band together
in order to stop an aggressor state. Let's suppose there is a bully in a junior high
school. He might pick on a kid or two if they are isolated, but if 20 kids present a
united front and tell the bully, 'Hey, if you pick on one of us, you'll have to deal with
all of us!' that bully is likely to back down. That is the idea of collective security:
strength in numbers.
The Beginning of the United Nations
The United Nations didn't pop up overnight. It actually sort of evolved into being.
The concept behind the U.N. has its roots in a post-World War I organization called
the League of Nations. The League of Nations was an international peacekeeping
organization founded in 1920, following the end of World War I. American President
Woodrow Wilson was instrumental in its founding.
See, World War I was such a horribly brutal conflict that the major powers wanted
to ensure that a war like it never happened again. It was supposed to be the 'war to
end all wars,' remember? Of course, we know it didn't work out quite that way.
Although largely ineffective, the League of Nations is important because it helped
set the foundation for the U.N.

The real concept of the U.N. began to become clear throughout World War II.
Throughout World War II, the term 'United Nations' was often used as a general term
to refer to the Allies. One famous poster from the war reads, 'The united nations fight
for freedom.' As the war progressed, however, President Franklin Roosevelt and
others increasingly began to conceive of the United Nations as a very specific
international peacekeeping organization.
Much of the thinking behind the U.N. was based on a very important document called
the Atlantic Charter, which was issued in August 1941. The Atlantic Charter set forth
goals for the postwar era and basically called for the spread of democracy around
the world. Determined to put the ideals of the Atlantic Charter into place, the U.N.
was formed. The United Nations officially came into existence after the United
Nations Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945, in San Francisco.
Structure of the United Nations
Now let's look at the structure of the U.N. The U.N. has six branches: the General
Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat,
the International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.
The General Assembly is basically like a congress of member states. Each state has
equal power and the opportunity to vote on various issues affecting the global
community. The Security Council is a very powerful organ of the U.N. The Security
Council has the authority to issue sanctions, authorize military action against
aggressor states, and act in other ways to maintain global security. The Security
Council is made up of the 5 permanent member states (China, Great Britain, France,
Russia, and the United States) plus 10 other states that are elected to 2-year terms.
The five permanent member states hold veto power over Security Council
resolutions.

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