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United Nations
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United Nations
The horrors of World War 2 made the world leaders realize that they need to form an improved version of League of Nations: United Nations. The primary mission of the organization is to prevent another global war along with ensuring that socio-economic conditions of the world populace improves. The Security Council is the UN’s enforcement arm that is empowered by Article 39 to ascertain the course of action to be taken against an aggressor state. The principle of checking an aggressor state’s actions has been applied multiple times such as in the Korean peninsula in 1950 and against Iraq in 1990-1991.
The UN is a the most successful international organization to date as it has prevented another global catastrophe and helped millions of people in the domains of health, education and social conditions through its programmes such as UNDP and UNICEF. It has almost wiped out some diseases and viruses such as the poliovirus, which is only found in three countries now. On the other hand, it continues to be the most undemocratic organization with the five permanent members of the Security Council who hold veto powers. This undemocratic nature of Security Council has marred most efforts to establish a truly democratic order at the international level.
The issue of state sovereignty is dealt with very seriously at the UN but the ability to exercise sovereignty is disproportionately different for member countries. United States of America openly defied all UN laws when it waged war against Iraq in 2003 but the member countries could not stand against the military might of USA to protect the sovereignty of Iraq. Moreover, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine adopted in 2005 sets a precedent to collectively oppose a nation if its government is guilty of crimes against humanity. Such laws are necessary to protect human life and dignity but they affect the sovereignty of individual states.
References
Fowler, M. R., & Bunck, J. M. (2010). Law, power, and the sovereign state: the evolution and application of the concept of sovereignty. Penn State Press.
Magstadt, T. M. (2016). Understanding politics: Ideas, institutions, and issues. Cengage Learning. pp. 558-562
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