United no more? The U.S. went to war in Iraq without the UN's blessing. Does the world's only superpower need the UN? In a changing world, is the UN still relevant? (International).

UNITED NATIONS--When U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the UN Security Council before the war with Iraq, he spoke with the fire of a prosecutor offering a summation to an international jury. But it was the jury he was putting on trial.

"This body places itself in danger of irrelevance," he declared, "if it allows Iraq to continue to defy its will without responding effectively and immediately."

Powell was calling on the Security Council to authorize military action not only to uphold the UN's order that Iraq disarm, but also for the sake of the UN's own credibility.

Saddam Hussein had been told to disarm, or face "serious consequences." The Bush administration wanted to invoke that language and take immediate military action. But others preferred to contain Saddam with intrusive inspections backed up by a far-vaguer threat of force.

The issue was debated for weeks. France, Russia, and China--each with the power to veto a resolution that would make the war clearly legal--adamantly opposed the immediate use of force.

Six weeks later, the U.S. and Britain went to war against Iraq without the Security Council's authorization. Was Powell right? In a world where the United States is the sole, undisputed superpower, has the UN made itself irrelevant?

"Except for a brief post-Cold-War period, the United Nations has been a service agency its entire life," says James Hoge, the editor of Foreign Affairs, referring to the many social and economic projects the UN oversees. "The experiment, the brief experiment of a decade and half, in which it was there to curtail war, or to confine going to war within some loosely defined international parameters set by the Security Council, has failed."

LOFTY GOALS, SHIFTING FOCUS

The UN was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II as the successor to the League of Nations (see "The First United Nations," page 26). The UN charter set out lofty goals and, in an effort to avoid the League's mistakes, practical ways of achieving them. The UN, it said, was "determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." The charter made clear that acts of aggression could be met with force, if the Security Council decided to do so.

But over time, particularly as nations in Africa and Southeast Asia cut their ties to the European colonial powers and became independent member states of the UN, their needs became a central focus of UN activities. The UN'S focus shifted from preventing aggression and toward assisting the developing world, eliminating poverty, tracking and curbing disease, improving the status of women, and restoring the environment. Agencies like the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which improves children's living conditions in developing countries, and the United Nations Development Programme, which helps with critical issues like setting up electrical power grids, became the public face of the UN.

COLD-WAR ECHOES

"The UN in its own mind is largely about a positive agenda that the agencies deliver," says David Malone, the head of the International Peace Academy.

Another reason the UN's focus shifted away from international security was a decades-long stalemate in the Security Council. The Council's five permanent members--the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), and China--have veto power, which meant, during the Cold War, that the Soviet Union and the U.S. simply vetoed each others' initiatives and blocked most action.

The UN has always had a complex relationship with the U.S. Over the years, the General Assembly, the legislative body in which all member nations have a vote, has passed a number of resolutions--which are only advisory--that sometimes seemed calculated to infuriate Americans.

One example came in 1975, when the General Assembly passed a resolution equating Zionism, a movement supporting the creation of a Jewish state, with racism. The resolution was repealed in 1991, but actions like that over the years put the UN increasingly at odds with the United States, a strong supporter of Israel. The UN became a favorite whipping boy of conservatives like North Carolina's Republican Senator Jesse Helms, who for years, until the late 1990s, blocked payment of some of the U.S.'s dues to the world body.

The end of the Cold War, and of the Security Council stalemate, made the UN a factor once again in international security issues. In 1991, after months of successful diplomacy by the first President George Bush, the Security Council unanimously endorsed the Persian Gulf war to force Iraqi invaders out of Kuwait.

One of the UN's most visible roles in the past decade has been peacekeeping. Since 1945, the UN has spent $2.6 billion on 54 such missions. Last month alone, the UN was operating 13 peacekeeping operations, with 39,636 troops from 89 countries. All the troops are "borrowed" from member nations--the UN has no military units of its own.

One of the people most visibly concerned about the Security Council standoff on Iraq was the UN's Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The Secretary General, who is appointed by the member states, has no vote in any UN body. Still, he has a kind of moral authority, functioning in the words of one former ambassador, as a "secular pope." He speaks, after all, for 191 nations around the globe.

DOES THE U.S. STILL NEED THE UN?

As war with Iraq grew increasingly inevitable, Annan urged members of the Security Council to find common ground, to avoid damaging the UN's authority. "If the Council were to be able to manage this process successfully," Annan said, "and muster the collective will to handle this operation, its own reputation and credibility would have been enhanced."

The Security Council failed to do so, just as it had so often failed to agree during the Cold War, and the U.S. pressed ahead with its plans to crush and remove Saddam Hussein.

But now the victorious coalition forces may decide that they need to draw on UN expertise in putting together a new, democratic Iraq. Some authorities believe both the U.S. and the UN would benefit if they work together on this.

And in the long-run, the U.S. may need the UN for more than just rebuilding Iraq. "It may very well be true that the United States simply does not need the United Nations anymore; you might say that it almost never has," James Traub wrote recently in The New York Times Magazine. "The U.S. does, however, need other countries; and the other countries we need believe in the UN whether we do or not."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* Many who support the UN say that if it did not exist, it would have to be created. Do you agree?

* Writer James Traub says the U.S. needs other countries. Do you agree?

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand why the United Nations evolved from its intended mission of preventing aggression to that of being a provider of humanitarian aid to needy countries--and why many Americans believe that the United Nations is no longer relevant.

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

BEFORE READING: Students should be aware of one of the widespread misunderstandings about the UN. Many people think of that body as something akin to a world government. In fact, the UN has never been more than an organization of independent countries that has no more power than its members vote to give it.

CRITICAL THINKING/DISCUSSION: Tell students that the five permanent members of the Security Council assumed their powerful positions because they were World War II victors over Germany and Japan. Did the fact that they were allies in war camouflage important differences between Council members? Were the UN founders overly optimistic in their understanding of what the organization was and what it could accomplish?

Provide an American setting to help students better understand the emotional and ideological differences that can divide members of an organization who ostensibly seek the same goals. If members of Congress, Americans all, can deadlock over health care, taxes, and other issues important to the American people, is it surprising that countries as different as the U.S. and Russia should vote differently in the UN?

ROLE-PLAY: After students read the article, help them review key issues by conducting a brief role-play exercise. Break the class into three groups. Group A is the "Poor Country Block." Group B is the United States. Group C is "Neutral Observers." Group A must argue why the UN is a Critical element of the world community. Group B must argue why the UN is no longer relevant. Group C must offer a compromise or middle-ground argument that acknowledges the UN has faults but argues that it remains a relevant institution.

WEB WATCH: Go to www.un.org to view the united Nations home page. Click on "English" to view 14 links to UN background, structure, and activities--including "The Situation in Iraq."

United Nations Intervention

Since 1948, the UN has conducted 54 peacekeeping missions. But it has
also authorized other interventions designed to enforce UN
resolutions--such as the Persian Gulf war of 1991 against Saddam
Hussein (detailed below). Here are a few of the many places where the
UN has intervened around the world, and a snapshot of the different
kinds of operations involved.

1948 to
present

ISRAEL, EGYPT, JORDAN,
SYRIA, AND LEBANON. Set up
to monitor cease-fire lines
after the first Arab-Israeli war,
this was the first UN peacekeeping
mission. Forces still
patrol the Golan Heights and
the Lebanese-Israeli border.

1950-1953

KOREA. When the
Communist forces of
North Korea invaded South
Korea, the UN authorized
military Intervention on
South Korea's behalf.
Officially called a "police
action," the UN forces
were commanded by the
U.S. military.

1991

PERSIAN GULF WAR. After
Iraq invaded Kuwait and
refused to withdraw, the
Security Council authorized
the use of military force. A
U.S.-led coalition of 39 countries
drove Iraq from Kuwait.

1992-1993

CAMBODIA. Designed
to support and oversee
the peace agreement
ending Cambodia's 16-year
civil war. UN forces
helped resettle refugees,
maintain order, and
organize elections.

1994-1996

RWANDA. Considered one of
the UN's weakest missions,
since the UN withdrew forces
when violence initially broke
out between Hutu and Tutsi
tribes. After 800,000 died,
the UN authorized a French-led
force to intervene.

1999

EAST TIMOR. Violence
broke out after a UN-supervised
vote on
independence from
Indonesia. The UN
authorized an Australian-led
military intervention,
and then helped set up a
transitional government.

1999 to
present

SIERRA LEONE. UN peacekeepers
are present to
enforce an agreement
ending civil war, to promote
disarmament, integrate the
nation's soldiers back into
civil society, and provide
humanitarian assistance.

1999 to
present

KOSOVO. After NATO
forces ousted Yugoslav
authorities to protect
the civilian population,
the UN began handling
government functions
such as police, justice,
and reconstruction.
NATO troops remain to
maintain the peace.

THE WORLD OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The UN comprises 191 member nations. Headquartered in New York City,
it was founded in 1945, after World War II. The UN encompasses a vast
bureaucracy responsible for solving global economic, political, and
social problems. Here are some of its most important bodies and the
agencies they oversee.

SECURITY COUNCIL

Responsible for maintaining international
peace and security, the
Security Council is the only UN
body with authority to take action
in these areas. It has 15 members,
including five permanent
members (U.S., Britain, France,
Russia, and China) with veto
power, and 10 rotating members
elected by the General Assembly
for two-year terms.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

All 191 nations in the UN have
an equal vote in the General
Assembly. Election of Security
Council members and recommendations
on issues of peace and
security require a two-thirds
majority vote; all other issues
need just a simple majority.

UN DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME (UNDP)

Oversees and coordinates a
worldwide network of development
organizations working to
improve conditions in developing
countries. One of the UNDP's
major goals is to cut world
poverty in half by 2015.

UNICEF (UNITED NATIONS
CHILDREN'S FUND)

Perhaps the most well-known of
all UN agencies, UNICEF helps
children living in poverty in developing
countries. UNICEF works
with other UN agencies and with
nongovernmental humanitarian
groups to provide food, vaccines,
and other basic needs.

UN HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR REFUGEES

The mission of the UNHCR is to
provide immediate relief and
assistance to refugees in times
of crisis, to protect their rights,
and work on long-term solutions
that enable refugees to return
home. UNHCR is currently at
work in more than 120 countries
worldwide, providing aid to some
19.8 million people.

ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL COUNCIL

Responsible for promoting economic
and social progress worldwide,
the council coordinates the
work of 14 agencies (including
the World Health Organization
and the World Bank) and 15 specialized
commissions. It has 54
member nations, elected by the
General Assembly for overlapping
three-year terms.

WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION (WHO)

Headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland, WHO works to
improve the health of people
worldwide and to coordinate
information on the international
spread of disease.

WORLD BANK

One of the world's largest sources
of economic assistance, the
World Bank makes loans to
developing countries to help
jump-start their economies.

INTERNATIONAL
MONETARY FUND (IMF)

The IMF was established to stabilize
exchange rates, encourage
economic growth and employment,
and to promote general
monetary cooperation between
nations. It also provides temporary
assistance to countries
trying to pay off debts.

SECRETARIAT

Responsible for carrying out the
day-to-day work of the entire UN
organization, the Secretariat has
a staff of about 8,900 people--international
civil servants who
take direction from the UN, not
any particular government.

OFFICE OF THE
SECRETARY GENERAL

Perhaps the most important part
of the Secretariat, the Office of
the Secretary General is roughly
the international equivalent of an
executive branch of government,
except that the Secretary General
is more like a world ambassador
than a world president. The
Secretary General is appointed by
the General Assembly on the recommendation
of the Security
Council for a five-year, renewable
term. The current Secretary
General is Kofi Annan, a citizen of
Ghana, re-elected in 2001.

Who Pays the UN Bill?

Each country's membership dues are calculated based on the strength of
the country's economy and its ability to pay. The U.S. is the largest
contributor, paying $283.1 million. In 2002, there were 43 member
nations contributing the minimum dues of just $11,104 each--about the
price of a new Hyundai.

U.S. $283.1 million           22%
Japan $218.4 million         19.7%
Germany $109.3 million        9.8%
France $72.4 million          6.5%
United Kingdom $62 million    5.6%
Italy $56.7 million           5.1%
Canada $28.6 million          2.6%
Spain $28.2 million           2.5%
Brazil $23.2 million          2.1%
South Korea $20.7 million     1.9%
181 Other Countries          22.2%

NOTE: Table made from pie chart.

FELICITY BARRINGER is UN bureau chief for The New York Times.