TERM PAPER:

STUDENT NAME: MUENDO, JAMES M.

STUDENT NUMBER: 651 730

COURSE SUPERVISOR: DR. ONYANGO MOSES

UNIT: IRL2000B – FOUNDATIONS OF

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

SEMESTER: SUMMER 2022

SYSTEM AND DISCUSS ITS IMPACT ON PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE

INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM.

The international system is mangled by various intensity of rivalry both at the domestic and at

the international level. These conflicts have manifested in violent and non-violent forms. While

it is important to have a system that can push for peace, it remains inept without having a hand in

administration of International Law. This happened at the end of World War 1 with the creation

of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was founded at the Paris Peace Conference that

ended World War I. The Covenant of the League of Nations was the founding treaty of the

Organization and it put forth the two basic goals of the League. The primal function of the

League of Nations was to preserve the peace among nations through collective action. The

second goal of the League of Nations was to promote international cooperation in economic and

social affairs. For these purposes, the League of Nations established the International Labor

Organization, the Permanent Court of International Justice, Health, Slavery and Refugees

committees of the League. (Moss 1987, p. 29). Nonetheless, the League of Nations failed to

prevent the outburst of Second World War. Its failure is attributed to a number of problems. First

of all, although the League was mostly work of Woodrow Wilson, the United States of America

adopted a policy of isolationism after the war, and never joined the Organization. According to

the Treaty of Versailles, Germany and Russia were also not allowed to join the League. Thus,

three of the world’s most powerful nations played no part in supporting the League of Nations,

and left them free of responsibilities. Second, perhaps the biggest weakness of the League was its

chaotic organization. The different organs of the Organizations were supposed to work together

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but they experienced difficulties to manage in during an impasse. The League of Nations had a

number of achievements during the 20’s in ending or preventing conflicts between Yugoslavia

and Albania, between Greece and Bulgaria, in Upper Silesia, Mosul and in the Aaland Islands.

The League was also quite successful in dealing with refugees, trying to wipe out diseases and

attempting to improve working conditions across the world on the other. Yet, during the 20’s the

League failed to solve several problems such as the Russo-Polish War, the Corfu Incident or the

conflict between Greece and Turkey, among others. The League was overall unsuccessful in

carrying the self-determination policy out. In the 30’s, the League of Nations completely lost

control over international relations and was practically powerless during the Manchuria Affair,

Abyssinia, Rhineland and the Munich Pact, which culminated in the World War II (Moss 1987,

p. 29). Notwithstanding, it provided a master plan for the creation of a more successful

institution, The United Nations.

The necessity of establishing an international organization for the maintenance of international

peace and security was fist mentioned in the Declaration of St. James’s Palace on 12 June 1941

(Tomova, 2014). The idea crystalized in the Atlantic Charter and the following Declaration by

the United Nations. However, it was not until the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Great

Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union in October, 1943 in Moscow that the bases for a

world organization were defined. In December, two months after the Moscow Declaration,

Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met for the first time at Teheran, reaffirming the principles of the

world organization-to-be. If the principles and purposes of such body were now clear, it was now

necessary to set up the structure of the world organization. For this purpose, representatives of

China, Great Britain, the USSR and the United States met for conference at Dumbarton Oaks.

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The discussions were completed on October 7, 1944, and a proposal for the structure of the

world organization was submitted by the four powers to all the United Nations governments (UN

Resources).

According to the Dumbarton Oaks proposals, four principal bodies were to constitute the world

organization – the General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice and

the Secretariat. The Security Council was envisaged as the executive branch, while the General

Assembly could study, discuss and make recommendations in order to promote international

cooperation and adjust situations likely to impair welfare. Furthermore, member states were to

provide the Security Council with armed forces that would assist in preventing war and

suppressing acts of aggression. The question of the actual method of voting in the Security

Council was resolved at Yalta Conference in Crimea in February, 1945. Soon after, in early

April, the sudden death of President Roosevelt shocked everyone. However, President Truman

decided to carry out all the arrangements already made, and the San Francisco Conference

opened on the appointed date (UN Resources).

Delegates of fifty nations gathered in San Francisco determined to set up an organization which

would preserve peace and help build a better world. Representatives of over eighty per cent of

the world's population, people of every race, religion and continent had to produce a Charter

acceptable to all the countries. Differences were overcome, vital issues were resolved and the

San Francisco Conference got through its monumental work in exactly two months. In the Opera

House at San Francisco on June 25, the Charter was passed unanimously and the next day it was

signed by all the countries. On 24 October, 1945, when the Governments of China, France, Great

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Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States and the majority of other signatory states had

ratified the Charter, the United Nations came into existence (UN Resources).

The United Nations was officially founded on the 24th of October, 1945 in San Francisco,

United states, with 51 member nations. It was formed after the Second World War, to prevent

any future wars. The failure of the League of Nations to prevent the Second

World War necessitated the formation of the United Nations. The Member states came together

and created the Charter of the United Nations. While the League of Nations was diplomatic, the

United Nations in addition to diplomacy is also able to use military force. The United Nations

also makes decisions on Economic policies and Human Rights. These differences curb some of

the challenges that the League of Nations faced. Currently, there are 193 member states in the

United Nations. The UN Charter is the integral tool that sets out the rights and responsibilities of

each member state. It consists of a series of articles divided into chapters. It establishes the rules,

roles and principals of the organization and sets forth the main organs of the United Nations and

their respective powers. The Charter also gives the criteria for membership in the UN. As stated

in the Charter, the UN has six key organs: The General Assembly, the Security Council, the

Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the Secretariat and the International

Court of Justice. While these are the main organs, the UN has a variety of agencies and entities

that contribute to its key agenda which is the maintenance of international peace and security.

(UN Resources).

The General Assembly is made up of all the member states, and each state holds one vote. It is

the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Basically, it

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is the parliament of the United Nations. Decisions on important matters follow a two third

majority rule whereas other decisions made follow simple majority. In this forum, each member

state can present their case. The General Assembly discusses and

makes recommendations on matters that are in the scope of the UN Charter. The election of the

non- permanent members of the Security Council is also done by the General Assembly. On

international security and peace matters, the exception is made when a matter is already being

handled by the Security Council. However, the Assembly may take action if the Security Council

fails to act in matters threatening international peace, due to lack of unanimity. (UN Resources).

The UN Security Council comprises of fifteen member states, with five permanent seat

members: China, Russia, France, The United Kingdom and the United States of America. It is

the central organ of the UN and its key role is the maintenance of international security and

peace. To do this, the Security Council was granted great powers that would make it a key

participant in international affairs. It investigates disputes and is mandated to use economic

sanctions or military action, if need arises, when dealing with states that do not comply. The non-

permanent members are elected for two-year terms and the seats rotate amongst regions in an

effort to maintain equality. However, the existence of the permanent seats and the concentration

of power amongst them has been a heavily controversial and criticized topic due to the influence

the Security Council has over the UN in general. Even decisions made in the General Assembly

can be seen to be greatly influenced by these five powers. (UN Resources).

The UN Charter establishes the Economic and Social Council as the principal organ to

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coordinate the economic, social and related work of the United Nations and the specialized

agencies and other bodies. While the Security council deals with issues of military security, this

council is charged with the task of economic security focusing on the economic, social and

environmental dimensions of the sustainable goals. The council has 54 member states elected by

the General Assembly, taking three-year terms. The International Court of Justice is the main

judicial body of the United Nations. It has its seat

at the Hague, Netherlands, unlike the other five main organs of the UN whose seats are located

in the UN headquarters in New York. Its main role is settling disputes in accordance to

international law and provision of advisory opinions on legal matters presented to it by agencies

of the United Nations. It is composed of 15 judges, each from a different state, who are elected

by the General Assembly and the Security Council.

The Trusteeship council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council and

was established to supervise activities of Trust territories while focusing on their economic,

social and political advancement as they progressed to independence. To this effect, its activities

were suspended in 1994 after the last trust territory gained independence. The council agreed to

meet only when required. The UN Secretariat comprises of thousands of staff members from

different nationalities performing the daily tasks of the UN such as mediation and taking key

roles in peacekeeping missions. The head of the Secretarial is the UN Secretary General, who is

appointed by the General Assembly, on recommendation by the Security Council. The

Secretariat staff inform the world on the workings of the United Nations. They organize

conferences on issues of world concern. Their work is to administer policies laid down by the

other organs of the UN. The Secretariat staff report to the United Nations and not member states.

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While it can be argued that the United Nations has had a positive impact on international security

as a third World War has not taken place, ever since it was founded multiple deadly wars still

occur across the globe, with the knowledge of the UN. While the relevance of the UN Security

Council can be felt, over time it has repeatedly been seen that intervention is done on the basis of

national interests, and decisions on international security affairs rely on the great powers. The

UN engages in peace operations in areas that do not hold much significance to the main great

powers, particularly the United States. Veto power, given to the five permanent members of the

security council is also a significant challenge as one vote effectively paralyzes the actions of the

UN, which makes it an undemocratic organization. These great powers also easily violate

international rules with little to no consequence such as the United States war in Afghanistan.

However, as much as the United Nations is a flawed organization that requires reform, a lot of

good has come out of it, and while it cannot be expected to prevent each dispute, it provides a

good ground for peace building. Millions of lives have been saved and improved through their

peacekeeping and humanitarian actions. Its importance remains despite its many drawbacks.

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References

Basic Facts about the United Nations. (2017). New York: United Nations Department of Public

[Link] Assembly of the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved from [Link]:

[Link]

Hanhimaki, J. M. (2015). The United Nations: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: OXFORD

University press.

United Nations | Definition, History, Founders, Flag, & Facts. (2022, March 11). Retrieved from

Encyclopedia Britannica: [Link]

United Nations. Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice.

San Francisco: United Nations.

Tomova, N. (2014). History and Structure of the United Nations. Bologna: University of

Bologna.

Moss, P. History Alive:1900-70’s BK 4, 1987, Collind Educational

UN RECOURCES:

- History of the United Nations at

[Link]

- The Charter of the United Nations at

[Link]

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- The Statute of the International Court of Justice at

[Link]

- History of the International Court of Justice at

[Link]

- Structure of the United Nations at

[Link]

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