It is necessary to go back to its foundation and history to understand the relationship
between the United Nations and the current international system. The United Nations, best
known as the U.N., was formed in 1945, just after World War II (WWII); the big alliance of four
states wanted to prevent another catastrophic war. The purpose was to lay the foundation for
international security and peace after WWII. In addition, the goal of the new international agency
was to get rid of poverty and diseases, provide food and aid, improve health services, protect
human rights, and uphold countries following international laws. The United Nations was
created because a neutral agency was needed to administer the states, help with conflicts, and
help with peacemaking and diplomacy. The United Nations was found to bring some guidelines
for international rights, which all the states would contribute to (Mingst et al., pg. 323, 2021).
The U.N. is managed by the Security Council, which comprises fifteen members but five
permanent members: Russia, China, Britain, France, and the United States. The Security Council
is liable for the issue of international peace and security. For this reason, the idea was to keep it
small to facilitate decisions on the global level. Meetings are held by the General Assembly,
overseen by the U.N. Secretary-General, today led by Antonio Guterres (Mingst et al., 317). The
General Assembly comprises 193 member states, which meet annually to discuss international
security and diplomacy issues. All countries have the right to vote regardless of their size. There
are two non-member states: the Vatican and Palestine. Although the Vatican and Palestine do not
have the right to vote, they can still be part of the discussions ((Mingst et al., pg. 314, 2021).
Though state members have the right to vote, the Security Council can veto fundamental
decisions passed by the council and the ten rotating members elected by region. The power
rested on these five member states has caused the international community to question their
interest in the U.N. Are they using their position to veto decisions that would not benefit their
countries? According to Mingst et al., from 1966 to 2005, “the United States has used its veto
more times than any other permanent member, over 80 times, while the Soviet Union/Russia
issued only 16 additional vetoes. China chose to abstain from it during the 90s. Since 2006,
China has exercised its veto seven times, often joining with Russia’s 17 vetoes. In the same
period, the United States vetoed six resolutions, three just during the Trump administration (pg.
315). Not all the states recognized the right of the council to make hard decisions, also because
there was disagreement within the council itself. The agency's legitimacy could also be affected
if the council fails to make decisions. The Security Council is responsible for funding personnel,
enforcement of sanctions, and military action. Unfortunately, the fact is that many individuals
today look disappointed at the Security Council, which has changed from “a tool to prevent wars
and make peace directly to a tool to legislate wars indirectly.” State members see the U.N. as
incompetent in making decisions and stopping the culture of war that humanity faces today.
Undeniably, this demanding exercise of the veto has hindered the work of the Security Council
and represented it as completely powerless, revealing a long list of concerns and constant
criticisms (Shoukeir, accessed April 13, 2024).
The U.N. is a topic of conflict among states who believe in its legitimacy and others who
do not. Those states that support its legitimacy see the U.N. as an organ that has shaped the
world. For instance, the General Assembly is seen to bring resolutions among states through
discussions on any topic that could affect the international community, like wars, pandemics,
human rights, etc. These states believe that many resolutions are meaningful and essential for
global stability. “The resolutions of the General Assembly often provide the basis for new
international law by articulating new principles, including the common heritage of human and
sustainable development (Mingst et al., pg. 316, 2024). Those who support the U.N. recognize
that through these crucial resolutions, they have found a way to help the economic and social
development of Africa, Asia, and Latin America through U.N. programs and other organizations.
They see the U.N. as a key to undeveloped regions to find equality in the international
community.
Another way the U.N. helped shape the world was through the impact of international
politics, such as decolonization. In 1960, most members of the U.N. favored decolonization,
which helped the African and Asian regions to start to achieve freedom. “The United Nations
was instrumental in legitimating the new international norm that colonialism and imperialism are
unacceptable state policies” (Mingst et al., pg. 318, 2024). Most former colonies achieved
freedom by the middle of the 1960s with little threat to international peace. The rise of the newly
independent states changed the United Nations and global politics. It is still a conflict
that exists where the formerly colonized states are still experiencing the impact of colonization
and imperialism, and they demand a considerable involvement of the international community to
bring economic and social stability to their regions.
Another pro for legitimacy is that the U.N. is a vital instrument for protecting the rights
of millions of displaced people worldwide. After WWII, Europe needed help to rebuild, with
millions of displaced people. The U.N. and its agencies are committed to protecting and assisting
millions of displaced, stateless people worldwide. The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) is the United Nations agency responsible for aiding and protecting refugees
and forcibly displaced communities and assisting with repatriation, integration, and resettlement
to a third country. Today, with over 110 million displaced worldwide, the UNHCR has a massive
job as worldwide food insecurity, climate crisis, and wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine have
added to the existing enormous problem (United Nations, accessed April 13, 2024).
On the other hand, there is much speculation about the efficiency of the United Nations
today. The U.N. was first created to help with peacekeeping enforcement. Though case studies
show that the U.N. has succeeded in its missions in several regions for years, like the conflict
between Greeks and Turks on the island, Indian and Pakistan hostilities over Kashmir, and the 11
years of separation between Israel and Palestine, many people think its efforts were not able to
touch the underlying roots of the conflicts. Many participants have different opinions of the
success of the U.N. efforts when they look at the world's current situation. In many situations,
the U.N. uses the enforcement of sanctions to force compliance for the parts involved. In the
words of Mingst et al., “Success is higher when the goal is modest policy changes or to constrain
an actor. Sanctions that aim to coerce or promote regime change are less likely to be successful”
(pg. 325).
One of the speculations regarding the U.N. is that although the Security Council is
supposed to have the power to veto wars, there were times when the same countries that
represented the council were the ones that started wars. For instance, in 2002, the United Nations
went to the Security Council for authorization to go to war against Iraq. The United States
argued that Iraq breached its agreement and was building weapons of mass destruction. The
Security Council was divided between the United States and Britain, which agreed with the
military action, and France, Russia, and China, which opposed it. Facing the deadlock, the
United States decided to go to war against Iraq in 2003 without the Security Council's approval.
When a significant power like the United States chooses to act without the approval of the U.N.,
it affects how other states look at the organization's legitimacy (Mingst et al., 2022).
Another significant issue that the U.N. has trouble with is its management and
operational systems. In the past, the UN’s reputation was marked by several activities of child
abuse and prostitution by peacekeepers who were exchanging food for sexual favors in several
countries in Africa, like the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and
the Republic of South Sudan. The problem still exists today even though the U.N. has
intervened, including female peacekeepers in those countries. “Abuses ran the gamut from sex
trafficking to prostitution in exchange for money, food, or medical supplies.” It seems
familiar among these cases of abuse that the perpetrators enjoy a shocking level of impunity,
which contributes to the continuous crises. Many states agree that the U.N. peacekeeping
system is broken and needs complete reform to stop those loops. “Generally speaking, rich
states contribute funds for peacekeeping, and poorer states contribute troops.” Specialists
believe that reasons for these continuing abuses vary from authority differences between
peacekeepers and disadvantaged citizens to a lack of education on U.N. guidelines in these
countries that send their personnel (Patrick, accessed April 14, 2024).
Regarding government, Romans 13:1, Let every person be subject to the governing
authorities. There is no authority except from God, who has instituted those that exist.” The
Bible says that God instituted the government to govern the people. It was established for the
good of all people (Romans 13:4). In John 19:11, Jesus spoke about the authority given by God,
who can also remove that power. God has the power to above all authority, but he established the
government as God’s agent of justice and protection for humanity. God is the judge, and justice
is established through him. However, he has placed the government to “bear the sword” (Rom.
13:4) and acts as God’s agent of justice. This is not simply social justice centered on worldly
human rights ideas; it is fundamentally embedded in “God's purposeful and gracious creation
of humanity in his image” (accessed April 14, 2024).
If God calls the government to work on behalf of all people, that includes the poor,
the helpless, the foreigners, and the orphans. God speaks about the responsibility of
Christians to care for those in need as it says in Zechariah 7:10, “Do not oppress the widow,
the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in
your heart” (ESV). It is the government's responsibility to come together in agreement to
solve those issues and carry the calling of bringing justice and peace to the world. The
government should not take advantage of the poor or the weak but lift them by the agreement
of resolutions that will fortify their states. Through accountability by agencies and
organizations like the U.N., the states could find more stability, justice, and development for
their regions.
Source:
Change lives every month: Give to the USA for UNHCR monthly: USA FOR UNHCR. USA for
UNHCR. The Un Refugee Agency. (n.d.-b).
https://give.unrefugees.org/191101wint_mainpg_p_3000/?
SF_onetime=701Rf000004E4xnIAC&SF_monthly=701Rf000004EFMxIAO&utm_campai
gn=US_EN_UNHCR_CoreBrand_Core&&gclid=c63b9f55373b16e44ea6f94e1da68f83&g
clsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=c63b9f55373b16e44ea6f94e1da68f83&amt=30
Karns, M. P., Johnson, T., & Mingst, K. A. (2024). International organizations: The politics and
processes of Global Governance. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Mingst, K. A., McKibben, H. E., & Snyder, J. L. (2022). Essential readings in world politics.
W.W. Norton & Company.
Patrick, S. (n.d.). Sexual abuse by peacekeepers: Time for Real Action. Council on Foreign
Relations. https://www.cfr.org/blog/sexual-abuse-peacekeepers-time-real-action
The purpose and role of Government. ESV Bible. (n.d.). https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-
global-study-bible/the-purpose-and-role-of-government/
Shoukeir, N. (2024, April 10). The Security Council and the State of Insecurity! Financial
Express. https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/the-security-council-and-the-state-of-
insecurity/3452669/
