United Nations
By Clara Dykstra
Beginnings of the UN
At last, WWII was over. The allies had won the war, but they knew the peace between the nations would not last long if they did not find an efficient way to maintain it. As political leaders reflected on the period of time between WWI and WWII, it was clear that there had been a severe lack of internationalism, despite the efforts of the League of Nations. They knew that they would need a system to prevent another global conflict from arising. The Big Three, which consisted of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, dedicated a lot of time and effort into the creation of the United Nations. The basic foundations of the UN was agree upon at both the Dumbarton Oaks and Yalta Conferences, and later a charter was written by delegates from 50 nations around the world in San Francisco, California. Despite the emergence of the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, there was a spread of internationalism after the end of WWII as people realized the ways that isolationism had failed them, and the UN gained heavy support from both global leaders and citizens.
Structure
The United Nations consists of five critical organs. The Security Council, often referred to as the Upper House, acts as the executive branch of the UN. The five Great Powers: US, France, Britain, the USSR and China, hold permanent seats on the security council. The 10 residual seats are filled by delegates elected by the general assembly that hold two-year terms. The Security Council must approve any undertaking, including economic penalties, force and the deployment of peacekeeping troops. Furthermore, the Great Powers have the power of a veto, making it necessary that all five nations must come to an agreement on decisions. The General Assembly is the “main body” of the United Nations. Every nation that is a member of the UN has a seat in the GA. The General Assembly has the power to create resolutions and make recommendations to the Security Council. The General Assembly has several committees that address specific issues including finances, humanitarian issues and legal problems. The three remaining branches of the UN are the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.