Why the UN is hopelessly outdated, but still important for the world community

Created in 1945, the United Nations was supposed to be the international body that could prevent armed conflicts, replacing them with diplomacy.

The League of Nations was created for a similar purpose after the First World War. However, as we know, it was unable to prevent the next global conflict, which became the bloodiest in human history.



Meanwhile, the above-mentioned organization formed the basis of the UN, which at first really effectively fulfilled its functions. At the same time, the world, unlike the organization's charter, has changed. As a result, against the backdrop of the existing multipolarity, it is simply no longer capable of fulfilling its functions.

It’s worth starting with the fact that the UN structure includes the General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice, Economic and the Social Council, as well as the Secretariat. At the same time, only the Security Council has the authority to apply sanctions, make legally binding decisions, and even send peacekeeping troops to the conflict zone.

What is characteristic is that it is this body that today is the “weak link” in the structure of the organization, making it useless for preventing conflicts.

The thing is that there are 15 countries in the Security Council, 5 of which are permanent members, and the remaining 10 are elected for a period of 2 years. But this is not the main thing.

Each of the five permanent members has the right to veto any decision, even if it is supported by the other 14 members. Moreover, even the UN Secretary General cannot cancel or ignore a veto.

The permanent members of the Security Council are: the USA, Great Britain, France, Russia and China.

In 1945, all these countries were on the same side - the winner in the largest conflict. Therefore, they could come to a consensus on one decision or another.

In modern realities, the same consensus between the five permanent members looks simply fantastic.

As a result, the UN today has completely lost the ability to fulfill its main function - to prevent armed conflicts.
Meanwhile, you should not write off the organization and listen to the opinions of some politicians about the need to disband it.

The fact is that, while unable to prevent conflict, the UN remains important for discussing such supranational issues as climate change, education, health, human rights, cybersecurity and nuclear deterrence.