The role of the UN during the could war - Essay Example

The Role of the United Nations during the Cold War Apparently, the United Nations was formed soon after the League ofNations was discredited due to its failure to handle security issue that was paramount immediately after the Second World War. Basically, there was a strong support that was emanating from the United States after numerous discussions and conferences were held leading to its official establishment in 1945(Meisler 22). Nevertheless, the United Nations was different from the League of Nations in some issues although they shared the same philosophy of collective security.

In response to the mandate it was bestowed, Krasno (4) argues that the United States Charter allocated more power to five major states, which were further given veto powers and permanent representation in what was known as the upper chamber where exclusive jurisdiction were taken into consideration. Additionally, there were six nonpermanent members who later increased to ten. As such, the charter principle of sovereign equality expected all members to abstain in their international relations from threat or forceful use against territorial integrity or any state political independence.

Thus, the United Nations issued the Security Council with the responsibility of ensuring that peace and security was maintained internationally (Krasno 5). Importantly, the United Nations first role during the Cold war happened in Korea when the Korean peninsula was divided through the occupation of the Soviet occupied territory in the Northern part while the Southern part was taken over by the United States. According to Sachleben (36) the state of unrest was thought to be between Communist and non communist states, and as such the United Nations was compelled to provide international legitimacy to the United States reaction on Korean peninsula although president Truman was determined to counter the threat until 1953 when the peace was finally restored.

Similarly, the United Nations was engaged in the role of ensuring that Soviet Union was not involved in the unrest in Congo after the killing of the Secretary- General Dag Hammarskjold through a plane crash. During this unrest, there was conflict between the western powers and the then President Kasavubu who was supported by the United Nations through their peace keeping mandate (Downs 14). It is worth noting that the unrest in Korea and Congo were perfect examples of how the anticipated roles of the United Nations were influenced by the East- West divisions.

As such, critics have argued that it is highly likely that the United Nations failed in its mandate of collective security. According to Ginsberg and Susan (20), the United Nations was successful in decolonization because it received direct support from both superpowers so as to bring down the power that was present in colonial empires and instead gain more spheres of influence. In a general sense, the Cold war period did not bring out the intended role of the United Nations since it was continuously influenced or forced to designate some roles to the Security Council and allies.

Instead, the United Nations became more interested in human rights and self determination, since collective security had proved unattainable (Groom and Paul 158).Works Cited:Top of FormBottom of FormTop of FormBottom of FormTop of FormTop of FormTop of FormTop of FormDowns, George. Collective Security Beyond the Cold War. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan press, 1994. Print. Ginsberg, Roy H, and Susan E. Penksa. The European Union in Global Security: The Politics of Impact. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.Print.Groom, Arthur and Paul Taylor.

The United Nations at the Millennium: The Principal Organs. London [u.a.: Continuum, 2000. Print. Krasno, Jean. The United Nations: Confronting the Challenges of a Global Society. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004. Print. Meisler, Stanley. United Nations: A History. New York: Grove Press, 2011. Print. Sachleben, Mark. World Politics on Screen: Understanding International Relations Through Popular Culture. , 2014. Print. Bottom of FormBottom of FormBottom of FormBottom of Form