Book Review
This books try’s to unravel United Nations as an organization in regards to its mandate and the changing environment. The mandate of the United Nations is to promote peace all through the world through various initiatives that it has begun. It is made up of representatives from all the countries in the world hence gives a holistic view of the interests of the people in the world. Human beings are known to be the source of all problems in the world through greed and this has destroyed the world. This books give an inside look at the thinking of the people who are in the United Nations with the aim of building a picture to the reader of what they should expect from the United Nations. It focuses on the problem people face and how they are evolving on a daily basis. This is something that UN had not planned and the way to deal with these problems should change also with an aim of ensuring the problems are solved. The author is known to have worked in the United Nations for a period of time hence giving him an authoritative say on what the organization should do. The fact that you have been in an organization and now out makes you know both sides of the coin. The author try to bridge this understanding by explaining things from his perspective as a person who has been inside and outside the organization. This book tackles the following issues elaborated below.
The issue of peacekeeping and war tone countries is what has been the problem over the ages. The evolving of this menace has evolved and the united nations are considered to be overwhelmed with this matter hence the way of dealing with this issue has lead to reforms being done in the United Nations through creations of various policies and structure to tackle this issue once and for all. This has been going on in various nations to the recent war on Iraq which united nations had say which was considered to be tainted and biased on the matter. This book unravels this matter and possible solutions to this problem.
The problem of nuclear weapons is something that has disturbed it for a while. Nations considered to be superpowers have a righto have them. This has been the subject of discussion in the united nations security council and they still cannot decide as countries tend to be biased on countries considered to be threats to other countries. They have sent inspections teams to countries like china and Iraq to check whether nuclear weapons were being developed and none was found. The writer fails to look at the view if the other countries who consider to be target by the United States of America who are considered to be above the united nations. This is considered to be up and about as nations consider to be undermined by the United States of America. The issue is a thorny issue that this book does not tackle adequately.
The issue of regional integration of various blocks of countries have been an issue to the united nations as they end up considering the united nations not relevant. These regional integration bodies are known to be the source of strengthening countries and their say when it comes to various things. This issue has not been tacked effectively in this book as the author focused on one side of the coin.
In conclusion this book tries to give an understanding picture of both sides and this is known to be a very huge intellectual opening. Information is known to be power and the author did a good job trying to share information apart from some areas mentioned above. This books builds on the issue of societal problems and how they are being solved. This gives a deeper understanding in relation to people and power. The relation to this has lead to people trying to understand united nations and its mandate and how it helps people.
References
Morrison, Andrea M, and Barbara J. Mann. International Government Information and Country Information: : a Subject Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.
Puchala, Donald J, Katie V. Laatikainen, and Roger A. Coate. United Nations Politics: International Organization in a Divided World. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
