Abstract:
The United Nations was thought as mankind's best hope for peace.
However, after more than half a century of experiments in peacekeeping, the
United Nations remains in a serious crisis of relevance.
Even before the time it was created, there were already serious doubts
whether or not an international organization of states, based on the principle of
collective security, could actually “save succeeding generations from the scourge
of war.” What was originally envisioned by the great architects of the world
system was far from the ideals of an institution upholding the equality and
sovereignty of states. Instead, the major powers after the Second World War
bypassed the principles of the United Nations in pursuing their objectives.
The question on the credibility of the United Nations as an organization of
states tasked to maintain peace continues after the Cold War period. The US-Iraq
crisis reveals that after the Cold War, superpower unilateralism remains as the
determining factor in the international system of peace and security.
