PI 1509 Introduction to World Politics

1
PI 1509Introduction to World Politics

• The United Nations (UN)

2
Overview

• Origins of the United Nations
• Structure of the United Nations
• Article 2(4)
• Cold War
• Post Cold War
• Post-Cold War developments
• Issues for UN today
• Concluding remarks

3
Origins of the United Nations

• Failure of the League of Nations
• 1944 Conference, San Francisco
• Membership open to, peace-loving
  states
• Security Council
• Great Powers?
• 1955 deal over UN membership
• 1945-55 membership deadlock
• Reflection of Cold War?

4
Structure of the United Nations

• The UN Charter
• Security Council
• General Assembly
• UN agencies
• Secretariat
• International Court of Justice

5
Article 2(4) of UN Charter

• All members shall refrain in their international
  relations from the threat or use of force against
  the territorial integrity or political
  independence of any state, or in any other manner
  inconsistent with the Purposes of the United
  Nations.

6
UN interventions in Cold War, 1945-1989

• Korea, 1950-53
• Cyprus, 1974 onwards
• Non-interventions
• E. Europe Hungary 1956 Czechoslovakia 1968
  Poland 1981
• Soviet invasion Afghanistan, 1979
• Cambodia, 1970s
• Ethiopia, 1984-85

7
Cyprus, 1974-2005

• Turkey invades in 1974
• UN peacekeepers brought in to police green line
• TNRC declared in 1983
• Cyprus joins EU 2004
• Traditional peacekeeping.

8
UN interventions in post-Cold War

• Iraq, 1990-91
• No-fly zones safe havens
• Somalia, 1991-93
• Rwanda,1994
• Yugoslavia
• Bosnia
• Kosovo
• Others
• Haiti and Sierra Leone.

9
Post-Cold War developments

• Membership issues
• 191 member-states
• 33 new members since 1989
• UN becomes more universal
• Debate over UN reform
• Enlarge Security Council?
• Annan proposals (this week)
• International Criminal Court
• Statute into play from July 2002

10
Issues for UN today?

• Development issues
• Global Poverty
• Migration/population
• Environment
• Old issues remain
• Middle-East peace
• Cyprus
• US hegemony?
• Debates on Iraq, 2003
• Asian Tsunami, 2004

11
Concluding remarks

• The UN succeeded the League of Nations in
  1945-46.
• It began with 51 members (allied powers and
  others) but now has 191 members.
• Promotes security, international law,
  equality of states, peace and human rights.
• Not a world government but a forum for states to
  debate.