Download or read book Inside the United Nations written by Samir Sanbar and published by . This book was released on 2016-11-29 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Samir Sanbar, a journalist and graduate of the American University of Beirut, left his native Lebanon in the 1960's for a job at United Nations Headquarters in New York, he could hardly have imagined the rich opportunity and adventure it was to offer him over the coming 33 years. His latest book "Inside The United Nations" is a memoir of his life at the UN.On his retirement, Sanbar had risen to the rank of Assistant Secretary-General, the UN Secretariat's highest-ranking civil servant from the Arab world. Much loved and respected by his staff and members of the diplomatic community alike, he had worked with five UN Secretaries-General, and developed working and personal relationships with many world leaders. As Head of the UN Department of Public Information, he amassed an encyclopedic knowledge not just of the structure and workings of the United Nations, but also of its people - the staff, diplomats and heads of state he dealt with in the UN offices next to the East River. As an expert Arabist, Samir Sanbar was at times assigned to nation-building missions or cloak-and-dagger operations in the Middle East, sometimes so secretive that the payroll unit, unaware that he still existed, stopped paying his salary. The book reads at times like a spy thriller, at times like a history book, at times like a satirical magazine. With his Ustinov-like anecdotes, and impish yet discerning sense of humor, Sanbar casts a critical eye on the UN system and the diplomatic and political intrigue that goes on next to New York's East River. He provides fresh insight into historical events that didn't quite seem to hang together at the time. Was there ever an �minence grise at UN HQ, and if so, who was it? Not afraid to name names and cite real-life examples, Sanbar decries the lack of leadership in UN diplomacy, which he attributes to cronyism, abandonment of its institutional memory, disloyalty to the UN 'Oath of Office' and lack of the sort of leadership shown by its founding fathers, such as Dag Hammarskjold.We also see the human side of Samir Sanbar. He speaks movingly of his own family, but it is obvious that he sees the UN as a family too. He was exasperated by a suggestion to save money at UN HQ by replacing the tour guides with talking machines and so lose their 'human warmth'. He points out that some famous people started their careers as UN tour guides. When Luciano Pavarotti was appointed the first UN Messenger of Peace, Sanbar struck up an immediate friendship and arranged a meeting with him for which even the Secretary General cancelled all previous appointments.Students of politics, history and diplomacy, will find this book essential to their understanding of the UN system and its place in history, and those who simply enjoy a good read will appreciate its insightful and witty observation of life in that extra-territorial enclave across First Avenue, which has never yet been so thoroughly depicted.
Download or read book Basic Facts about the United Nations written by United Nations. Department of Public Information and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Inside the United Nations written by Gert Rosenthal and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside the United Nations illustrates some of the parameters surrounding consensus-building at the United Nations, seeking to provide new insights beyond what is already known. The author spent twelve years as P.R of Guatemala at the UN, offering him privileged observatories in all three of the main inter-governmental organs: the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council. In this book Rosenthal focuses on six case studies that offer the breadth and scope of what the UN does, and illustrate some of the main elements of the dynamics of consensus-building, providing concrete examples of the ingredients that shape decision-making in a multilateral setting. The chapters: cover the origin, preparation, and outcome of two successful international conferences: the 2000 Millennium Summit and the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development; look at the 2000 negotiation on the scale of assessments to finance the UN’s budget in the General Assembly’s fifth committee (2000-2001); focus on the relevance of the Economic and Social Council; consider the internal politics involved in vying for elected posts in intergovernmental bodies by focusing on the campaign to be elected to the Security Council between Guatemala and Venezuela in 2006; reflect on the peculiarities of decision-making in the Security Council. Providing an insider’s view on the UN and exploring different facets of multilateral diplomacy at the UN, this book will be of great use and interest to scholars of international relations as well as the diplomatic community.
Download or read book The Essential UN written by United Nations and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Everything you always wanted to know about the United Nations in one book! This primer to the United Nations is designed for all global citizens. It covers the history of the UN, what it does and how it does it. As the world's only truly global organization, the United Nations is where countries meet to address universal issues that cannot be resolved by any one of them acting alone. From international peace and security to sustainable development, climate change, human rights, and humanitarian action, the United Nations acts on our behalf around the world." --
Download or read book Act of Creation written by Stephen C. Schlesinger and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-04-24 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Act of Creation, Stephen C. Schlesinger tells a pivotal and little-known story of how Secretary of State Edward Stettinius and the new American President, Harry Truman, picked up the pieces of the faltering campaign initiated by Franklin Roosevelt to create a "United Nations." Using secret agents, financial resources, and their unrivaled position of power, they overcame the intrigues of Stalin, the reservations of wartime allies like Winston Churchill, the discontent of smaller states, and a skeptical press corps to found the United Nations. The author reveals how the UN nearly collapsed several times during the conference over questions of which states should have power, who should be admitted, and how authority should be divided among its branches. By shedding new light on leading participants like John Foster Dulles, John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, Nelson Rockefeller, and E. B White, Act of Creation provides a fascinating tale of twentieth-century history not to be missed.
Download or read book The Security Council Chamber written by Jørn Holme and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-20 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters in New York is a symbolic meeting point for the international community. It is also a telling expression of its era - a testament to the seriousness and optimism of the years immediately following the Second World War. Few people, however, know that this celebrated meeting space was created entirely by Norwegian artists and designers. This book tells, for the first time, the entire history of the twentieth century's most remarkable rooms. Exhibition: The National Museum - Architecture, The Vault, Oslo, Norway (15.06. - 23.09.2018).
Download or read book The United Nations A Very Short Introduction written by Jussi M. Hanhimäki and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After seven decades of existence has the UN become obsolete? Is it ripe for retirement? As Jussi Hanhimäki proves in the second edition of this Very Short Introduction, the answer is no. In the second decade of the twenty-first century the UN remains an indispensable organization that continues to save lives and improve the world as its founders hoped. Since its original publication in 2008, this 2nd edition includes more recent examples of the UN Security Council in action and peacekeeping efforts while exploring its most recent successes and failures. After a brief history of the United Nations and its predecessor, the League of Nations, Hanhimäki examines the UN's successes and failures as a guardian of international peace and security, as a promoter of human rights, as a protector of international law, and as an engineer of socio-economic development. This updated edition highlights what continues to make the UN a complicated organization today, and the ongoing challenges between its ambitions and capabilities. Hanhimäki also provides a clear account of the UN and its various arms and organizations (such as UNESCO and UNICEF), and offers a critical overview of the UN Security Council's involvement in recent crises in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Libya, and Syria, and how likely it is to meet its overall goals in the future. Regardless of its obstacles, the UN is likely to survive for the foreseeable future. That alone makes trying to understand the UN in all its manifold - magnificent and frustrating - complexity a worthy task. With this much-needed updated introduction to the UN, Jussi Hanhimäki engages the current debate over the organizations effectiveness as he provides a clear understanding of how it was originally conceived, how it has come to its present form, and how it must confront new challenges in a rapidly changing world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book The United Nations In Action written by David J. Whittaker and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-11-01 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a clear survey of the role played by the United Nations in the major political crises of the post-war world. In covering its high-profile, peace-keeping role, its support of new nations, and its involvement in new initiatives such as famine relief and drug control, the author presents an introduction to the UN in action.
Download or read book The United Nations in the 21st Century written by Karen A. Mingst and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United Nations in the 21st Century, Sixth Edition, provides a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the UN. It explores the historical, institutional, and theoretical foundations of the UN as well as major global trends and challenges facing the organization today, including changing major power dynamics, new threats to peace and security, the migration and refugee crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the existential challenges of climate change and sustainability. Thoroughly revised and expanded, it contains two new chapters on the UN and the environment and on human security, including issues of health, food security, global migration, and human trafficking. There is enhanced analysis of theoretical perspectives on post-colonialism, feminist theory, constructivism, and non-Western views. New content has also been added on the UN's budget crisis, public-private partnerships, and the role of women in the organization. By examining the UN as an intergovernmental organization facing the broader need for global cooperation to address economic, social, and environmental interdependencies alongside the threats posed by rising nationalism and populism, this popular text is the perfect reference for all students and practitioners of international organizations, global governance, and international relations.
Download or read book The United Nations and the Development of Collective Security written by Dan Sarooshi and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines one of the most important challenges facing the United Nations today: the effective and lawful use of force by or under the authority of the UN to maintain or restore peace. It makes a significant contribution to the content of the law pertaining to the use of force by the UN and provides guidance as to the likely future developments in the legal framework governing collective action to maintain peace under the auspices of the United Nations.
Download or read book The United Nations Exposed written by Bill Jasper and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Failing to Protect written by Rosa Freedman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year tens of millions of individuals suffer grave abuses of their human rights. These violations occur worldwide, in war-torn countries and in the wealthiest states. Despite many of the abuses being well-documented, little seems to be done to stop them from happening. The United Nations was established to safeguard world peace and security, development, and human rights yet it is undeniable that currently is it failing to protect the rights of a great many people from the victims of ethnic cleansing, to migrants, those displaced by war and women who suffer horrendous abuse. This book looks at the reasons for that failure. Using concrete examples intertwined with explanations of the law and politics of the UN, Rosa Freedman offers clear explanations of how and why the Organisation is unable, at best, or unwilling, at worst, to protect human rights. Written for a non-specialist audience, her book also seeks to explain why certain countries and political blocs manipulate and undermine the UN s human rights machinery. Failing to Protect demonstrates the urgent need for radical reform of the machinery of human rights protection at the international level.
Download or read book The UN and Development written by Olav Stokke and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-06 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The UN and Development provides the first comprehensive overview of the development policies and activities of the United Nations system from the late 1940s to the present. With an explicit focus on the history of the ideas that have been generated, institutionalized, and implemented by UN organizations, this book examines changing trends in development paradigms from the concept of technical assistance to underdeveloped countries, as they were called in the late 1940s, to development cooperation in the 21st century. Olav Stokke traces this fascinating story and demonstrates the UN's essential role and its future challenges in aiding the least developed countries and the globe's billion poorest inhabitants.
Download or read book The United Nations Peace and Security written by Ramesh Thakur and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2006-06-08 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preventing humanitarian atrocities is becoming as important for the United Nations as dealing with inter-state war. In this book, Ramesh Thakur examines the transformation in UN operations, analysing its changing role and structure. He asks why, when and how force may be used and argues that the growing gulf between legality and legitimacy is evidence of an eroded sense of international community. He considers the tension between the US, with its capacity to use force and project power, and the UN, as the centre of the international law enforcement system. He asserts the central importance of the rule of law and of a rules-based order focused on the UN as the foundation of a civilised system of international relations. This book will be of interest to students of the UN and international organisations in politics, law and international relations departments, as well as policymakers in the UN and other NGOs.
Download or read book What s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix It written by Thomas G. Weiss and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seven decades after its establishment, the United Nations and its system of related organizations and programs are perpetually in crisis. While the twentieth-century’s world wars gave rise to ground-breaking efforts at international organization in 1919 and 1945, today’s UN is ill-equipped to deal with contemporary challenges to world order. Neither the end of the Cold War nor the aftermath of 9/11 has led to the “next generation” of multilateral institutions. But what exactly is wrong with the UN that makes it incapable of confronting contemporary global challenges and, more importantly, can we fix it? In this revised and updated third edition of his popular text, leading scholar of global governance Thomas G. Weiss takes a diagnose-and-cure approach to the world organization’s inherent difficulties. In the first half of the book, he considers: the problems of international leadership and decision making in a world of self-interested states; the diplomatic complications caused by the artificial divisions between the industrialized North and the global South; the structural problems of managing the UN’s many overlapping jurisdictions, agencies, and bodies; and the challenges of bureaucracy and leadership. The second half shows how to mitigate these maladies and points the way to a world in which the UN’s institutional ills might be “cured.” Weiss’s remedies are not based on pious hopes of a miracle cure for the UN, but rather on specific and encouraging examples that could be replicated. With considered optimism and in contrast to received wisdom, he contends that substantial change is both plausible and possible.
Download or read book A Workshop for Peace written by George A. Dudley and published by MIT Press (MA). This book was released on 1994 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book he unfolds the first eyewitness account of the creation of a landmark building that was functionally and symbolically important in its time, marking the emergence of modern architecture as the dominant language of postwar institutions and cities.
Download or read book The Indigenous Space and Marginalized Peoples in the United Nations written by J. Dahl and published by Springer. This book was released on 2012-12-05 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the UN, indigenous peoples have achieved more rights than any other group of people. This book traces this to the ability of indigenous peoples to create consensus among themselves; the establishment of an indigenous caucus; and the construction of a global indigenousness.
