The United Nations in the Post-Cold War Era

by Mingst, Karen A.; Karns, Margaret P.

• ISBN13: 9780813322612
• ISBN10: 0813322618
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-10-05
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The United Nations faces unprecedented opportunities as well as heightened expectations in the wake of the Cold War. With as yet unmet challenges throughout the world, the limits to UN power and effectiveness are being realized.From regional conflicts to areas of environmental degradation, the UN's success will depend on the way in which three dilemmas are resolvedthe tensions between sovereignty and the reality of its erosion, between demands for global governance and the weakness of UN institutions (as well as the reluctance of states to commit), and between the need for leadership and the diffusion of power. The authors explore these dilemmas in the context of the UN's historical evolution, including its experience with peacekeeping, peacemaking, and environmentally sustainabledevelopment. They also consider the role of various actors in the UN system, from major powers (especially the United States), small and middle powers, coalitions, and nongovernmental organizations, to the six secretaries-general. The need for institutional reforms and specific proposals for reform are examined.Because multilateral diplomacy is now the norm rather than the exception in world politics, the UN is more central than ever. This new text places the UN at the center of the entirely new set of dilemmas now emerging in world politics.

Author Biography

Karen A. Mingst is professor of political science at the University of Kentucky. Margaret P. Karns is professor of political science at the University of Dayton.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
List of Acronyms	p. xiii
The United Nations in World Politics	p. 1
The United Nations in World Politics: Vision and Reality	p. 2
Dilemmas in the Post-Cold War Era?	p. 10
Conclusion?	p. 14
Historical Evolution of the United Nations	p. 16
Nineteenth-Century Roots of Contemporary International Organizations?	p. 17
The League of Nation?	p. 19
The Origins of the United Nations?	p. 21
The Organization of the United Nations?	p. 22
Persistent Organizational Problems	p. 38
Conclusion?	p. 44
Actors in the United Nations System	p. 46
The United Nations as a League of States?	p. 46
Coalitions, Blocs, and the Importance of Consensus?	p. 61
Nongovernmental Organizations in the UN System?	p. 65
Nongovernmental Organizations in the UN System?	p. 65
The Secretary-General as an Actor in World Politics?	p. 67
Conclusion?	p. 70
Peace and Security	p. 74
Maintaining Peace and Security: The UN Charter?	p. 74
UN Approaches to Managing Peace and Security?	p. 75
Problems of UN Involvement in Peacekeeping and Enforcement Action?	p. 105
Arms Control and Disarmament	p. 108
Future Challenges for the UN's Role in Peace and Security?	p. 113
Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability	p. 117
The Evolution of Development Thinking?	p. 118
The Evolutionof the UN System and Development-Related Activities?	p. 121
Policy Debates and Issues in Promoting Sustainable Development?	p. 134
Conclusion?	p. 153
Human Rights	p. 158
The Role of the UN in Human Rights?	p. 158
The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations?	p. 175
The Anti-Apartheid Campaign?	p. 178
Women's Rights as Human Rights	p. 181
Indigenous Peoples: The Frontiers of International Human Right?	p. 187
The Record of the UN in Human Right?	p. 193
Human Rights and the Dilemmas?	p. 194
The Future of the United Nations	p. 199
Actors Promoting UN Reform?	p. 200
Key Reform Issue?	p. 202
The Need for Fundamental Political Change?	p. 212
Conclusion	p. 217
Charter of the United Nations	p. 222
Discussion Questions	p. 239
Suggested Readings	p. 244
Websites	p. 249
Glossary	p. 253
About the Book and Authors	p. 260
Index	p. 261
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