The role of the United Nations Security Council in the prevention & containment of conflict

Abstract

"The United Nations fundamental purpose remains today what it was at its foundation to remove the scourge of war, to reaffirm the worth of the human person, and to promote social progress and better standards of life. In this changed and changing world, it is the responsibility of us all to secure for the organisation the powers and resources to make sure that it achieves this aim." For many of the states adversely affected by the two world wars, the United Nations (UN) has been a successful institution. "Over the subsequent 60 years, many parts of the world have enjoyed unparalleled peace and prosperity. The dynamics and tensions that led to the Second World War were laid to rest, war between the great Powers was avoided and a stable peace emerged in Europe, Japan, Germany and Italy were successfully integrated into the family of nations and are currently the second, third and sixth largest financial contributors to the United Nations." In the first thirty years of its existence dozens of new states emerged from colonial rule dramatically altering the composition of the UN. At the creation of the UN in 1945 the number of Member States stood at 51, today it has grown to include 191 states. By the mid-1960s, developing countries formed a majority in the General Assembly. 'The second half of the twentieth century was a struggle for the viability of these new States and the well-being of their citizens. . .. Decolonization was only one of the forces that shaped the United Nations