The United Nations of the Future
Globalization with a Human Face

Willem van Genugten ,  Kees Homan ,  Nico Schrijver
Paper: 978 90 6832 073 2
Price: $49.00
Published: July 2006 

Publisher: KIT Publishers
302 pp., 5 1/4" x 8 1/4"
***Recipient of the 2007 OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE AWARD from Choice***

The sixtieth anniversary of the UN again led to a lot of discussion about the organization, and rightly so. At the same time the debate was not very balanced, emphasizing the shortcomings of the organization, but neglecting the fact that it is often active in situations which are beyond the control of all its member states, i.e., in "messy situations" where it can do hardly any good. In this book, the authors concentrate on the need to achieve security for all, and the role the UN could or should play in that respect. As the cliché remarks: "If the UN did not exist, it would have to be invented." This book argues that the UN is still very necessary, in a world of conflict, poverty, and the lack of human security. The authors go back to the original aims of the organization as formulated in 1945, while also examining all the major strengths and weaknesses that have emerged in the sixty years since.



Customers who have this book also purchased these titles:
Share
Reviews & Endorsements:
"[O]ne of the most thoughtful books this reviewer has read in a decade. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
- B. Sandhu, West Chester University , Choice
"There is no shortage of books criticizing the UN. This well-written, carefully documented book offers more than that. The contributors show their confidence in the future of the UN to act as a "center" for turning globalization into the famous "four freedoms" idealized by Franklin D. Roosevelt for everyone everywhere in the world. The book offers succinct discussions about Roosevelt's "four freedoms" speech and its connection to the original UN charter of 1945. the book's main focus is on the areas of human security, human development, and problems dealing with individuals rather than traditional concentration on states. The authors effectively argue that the UN has played and should play a central role in human development, human security, and human rights for all. They argue that the UN is an invaluable institution, necessary in a world full of conflicts and challenges to human development. The book is excellent and tightly focused; it contains extensive footnotes, 12 annexes, and a selected bibliography. It is on of the most thoughtful books this reviewer has read in a decade. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
- B. Sandhu, West Chester University , Choice