The United Nations

The United Nations has been called everything from "the best hope of mankind" to "irrelevant" and "obsolete." In this concise overview, Jussi Hanhimaki sheds light on the current debate over the UN's effectiveness as he provides a clear understanding of how it was originally conceived, how it has come to its present form, and how it must confront new challenges in a rapidly changing world. After a brief history of the UN, the author examines its successes and failures as a guardian of international peace and security, as a promoter of human rights, as a protector of international law, and as an engineer of socioeconomic development.