From the Ashes of Conflict: How the United Nations Was Born
Heterogeneity may be regarded as both a strength and a curse, or perhaps a weapon; one which can be perceived as the most lethal of all, but, moreso, not for the opponents but for the hands who hold it. Distinctions of all shapes and forms exist in the international arena, and where such differences are not respected and accepted but viewed from the perception of a threat- is where the true precariousness exists. Precariousness which may soon take the shape of a catastrophe or calamity synonymous with hell.
“The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.”. Rightly stated by Dag Hammarskjöld, former UN Secretary-General.
History has, time and again, repeated itself. Either in the form of the Concert of Europe[1], the League of Nations[2] or simply through the conduct of the twin World Wars, one may evidently observe the prevalence of conflicting perceptions which are birthed within a single institution. Not far from these parallel lines of thought, objectives and malices, lie the end of such institutions operating for a common betterment and purpose.
The United Nations, however, rather divergent from its predecessors, since its inception, has built a safe haven for such varied and anomalous ideologies. After the tragic historical episode preceding its commencement, the United Nations is synonymous of tolerance as a virtue[3]. Tolerance of unique nations, their baggage, their history, their cultures, traditions, objectives, priorities, animosities and friendships. The international arena is no child’s play.
To categorically determine the historical events leading upto the establishment of the United Nations, it is pertinent to ascertain the starting point of commencement. In other words, with the advent of the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles marked an end to the global riot in 1919. Through this, it also dually managed to establish the League of Nations aimed towards combating such cosmopolitan disputes in the near future. Yet, on account of a lacunae of participation from powerful nation state such as the United States, inability to enforce a multitude of decisions and the subsequent World War, the institution failed to thrive.
While the First World War was symbolic of the need for international peace, many suggest that this need translated into ordinary mundane lives and was truly felt with the breakout of the second counterpart of the said war[4]. Not only did the war attempt to justify genocide but also lead to widespread destructions and economic disparity. Accordingly, the Atlantic Charter, perhaps also regarded as the birth treaty of the United Nations, streamlined the vision for what harmony amongst nations may appear upon the culmination of the tragic war.
This Charter continues to gain wide applause even today as it held a vision in 1941 that perhaps was far beyond and wiser than its years. It highlighted issues of disarmament, a unified system of generalized security and stability alongside a pertinent quest ever since the defeat of Napoleon, of self determination for all nations, powerful or not. In furtherance of such vision, the Allied Powers[5] came together to collectively cite their pledge of working in synchronicity towards defeating the Axis Powers[6], accordingly the nomenclature “United Nations” was used for the prime most time to signify the holistic and unified efforts against the Axis Powers.
Moving a step closer towards the formalized formulation of the United Nations, a variety of representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and many others came together in the Dumbarton Oaks Conference of 1944[7]. It was herein the framework of the United Nations was determined with finality, including pertinent discussions of its structure, composition and organs. It was also during the continuance of this meet that the conception of veto powers[8] for the permanent members surfaced.
Finally, moments before the establishment of the all-pervasive institution, the Yalta Conference was conducted in February of 1945. The nitty gritty details of the United Nations were finalized such as the voting protocol to be adhered to and compiled by in the Security Council. San Francisco was chosen as the venue to formally establish the union. Accordingly, throughout April to June of 1945, the final conference convened. Over 50 representatives from varying sovereign nation states came together in the negotiation of the Charter, containing the quintessential details of purpose, principles and structure for the organization.
When all was said and done, on the 26th of June, 1945 the Charter was finally signed and the United Nations officially came into existence on the 24th of October, 1945 with the combined ratification of the permanent member of the Security Council alongside other signatories[9].
As A.A Milne gracefully put it, “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.” The journey for the articulation of the United Nations may have been tedious and testing, but the objectives with which the organisation has been pedestaled upon are guaranteeing a secure future for the organization. With the maintenance of international peace and security, the development of friendly relations, cooperating in the solving of international economic, social, humanitarian and culture problems and the promotion for the respect of human rights as its founding purposes, the United Nations has single handedly shaped the course of international politics.
[1]Stanislas Jeannesson , « The Concert of Europe », Encyclopédie d’histoire numérique de l’Europe [online], ISSN 2677-6588, published on 22/06/2016 , consulté le 21/10/2024. Permalink : https://ehne.fr/en/node/12227.
[2]Elrod RB. The Concert of Europe: A Fresh Look at an International System. World Politics. 1976;28(2):159-174. doi:10.2307/2009888.
[3]Vol. 19, No. 3, New Histories of the United Nations (Sep., 2008), pp. 251-274 (24 pages) Published By: University of Hawai’i Press.
[4]WEISS TG. How United Nations ideas change history. Review of International Studies. 2010;36(S1):3-23. doi:10.1017/S026021051100009X.
[5]See Jan Melissen, ‘Summit Diplomacy Coming of Age’, Discussion Papers in Diplomacy, Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’, 2006.
[6]Germany, Italy and Japan.
[7]Tanveer, Maryam. (2021). UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION. 10.13140/RG.2.2.27498.85445.
[8]Gardiner, Nile (2007) “The Decline and Fall of the United Nations: Why the U.N. has Failed and How it Needs to be Reformed,” Macalester International: Vol. 19, Article 9. Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macintl/vol19/iss1/9
[9]Alec Russell, “UN is Like the Twilight Zone, Says Bolton,” The Daily Telegraph (1 May 2006).