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Kennedy contrasts UN Charter with the state of affairs in the world body
By Molly Nixon
Posted: Sep 17, 2006
Sixty years after the founding of the United Nations, what have been its successes and failures? How
has it changed and what does the future of the world body look like? Scholar Paul Kennedy attempts to
answer these questions by analyzing the UN in The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future
of the United Nations.
Kennedy points out that the justification for a global organization like the United Nations varies with the
era, location and political philosophy of whoever is making the argument. While many of the founders
had envisioned a system of international law and cooperation, statesmen fighting for the UN’s
existence today will often point out a host of organizational flaws before stating that at best they believe
it is the hope for avoiding another world war.
Throughout his work, Kennedy repeatedly returns to the contrast between the ideas proclaimed in the
1945 UN Charter and the ways in which the body has adjusted or failed to adjust to a changing world
and a growing group of global actors.
The Parliament of Man is well set up, tracing the precursors to the UN in the opening chapter, as well
as the horrors of the Second World War that led to the very beginnings of the world institution. Kennedy
helps his reader understand the mindset of the Charter framers, pointing out where the work being
done was largely based on precedent and where radical breaks with the history of international
relations occurred – breaks we take for granted today.
From the beginning, Kennedy encourages his audience to accept that there are many UNs. Some
focus on the “harder” agendas like peacekeeping and economic policy; others exist for “softer” issues
– international public health, environment, and human rights, to name just a few. The majority of this
work traces the world organization’s track record through the arenas in which it works.
Kennedy provides a good mix of history and analysis of operations, advancements and breakdowns in
the UN over the past half century. He refrains from employing unnecessary jargon, but offers enough to
make the average citizen more comfortable, perhaps, with the language being used to describe UN
procedure and decision making in the media.
Where Kennedy could have gone into more detail is in the “whys” behind UN successes. While he
spends much time on the causes and consequences of UN failures, he touches only briefly on the
times when the UN has achieved its goals, prevented war, or brokered successful ceasefires.
International catastrophes have been much analyzed by the media, academia, and political players,
and while Kennedy’s summary is useful, most of his opinions aren’t new. It would have been
interesting to discover more about what made an operation successful or what helped a policy
achieve its intentions. It’s more rare, of course, but there are lessons to be learned there as well.
Kennedy is clearly a proponent of the United Nations and, written by someone else, The Parliament of
Man might be a very different history with a less optimistic vision of the future.
Kennedy points out that the UN itself has a hard time responding to two big charges: (1) “they have not
had the capacity to assist the truly poor, lowest one billion people of this world, despite their best
efforts;” and (2) “they have had little role, if any, in the story of the amazing rise in the standards of living
of hundreds of millions of families worldwide, but chiefly in Asia.” Those two facts alone might be
enough to convince some that the UN isn’t worth its budget and that those resources could be better
allocated. A harsher critic would also likely spend more time on the scandals that have plagued the UN
in recent years.
Few people believe the UN can or should remain as it is now. In his final chapters, Kennedy provides a
number of suggestions and theories as to how the UN can be restructured to address the concerns of
the great powers as well a number of smaller, poorer countries, and some who didn’t even exist when
the Charter was created.
If the United Nations is to be a “parliament of man”, the person on the street ought to have a
knowledge of its history and a sampling of the opinions and controversy about where the UN is and
where it is going. Kennedy’s book provides just that. While a PhD student of international relations isn’
t likely to find an exposé or potential dissertation topic, members of the media and general public
would do well to read at least the parts of The Parliament of Man that pique their curiosity.
Kennedy’s conclusion is difficult to argue with. When acknowledging that the United Nations was
created by and is operated by mankind – and is thus subject to all of its human fallibilities - it is an
endeavor that reflects our greatest attributes: a desire for peace and the willingness to work for the
betterment of others in any way we find possible.
The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present and Future of The United Nations
Author: Paul Kennedy
Publisher: Random House, 2006
$26.95
### ### ###
Molly Nixon is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
By Molly Nixon
Posted: Sep 17, 2006
Sixty years after the founding of the United Nations, what have been its successes and failures? How
has it changed and what does the future of the world body look like? Scholar Paul Kennedy attempts to
answer these questions by analyzing the UN in The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future
of the United Nations.
Kennedy points out that the justification for a global organization like the United Nations varies with the
era, location and political philosophy of whoever is making the argument. While many of the founders
had envisioned a system of international law and cooperation, statesmen fighting for the UN’s
existence today will often point out a host of organizational flaws before stating that at best they believe
it is the hope for avoiding another world war.
Throughout his work, Kennedy repeatedly returns to the contrast between the ideas proclaimed in the
1945 UN Charter and the ways in which the body has adjusted or failed to adjust to a changing world
and a growing group of global actors.
The Parliament of Man is well set up, tracing the precursors to the UN in the opening chapter, as well
as the horrors of the Second World War that led to the very beginnings of the world institution. Kennedy
helps his reader understand the mindset of the Charter framers, pointing out where the work being
done was largely based on precedent and where radical breaks with the history of international
relations occurred – breaks we take for granted today.
From the beginning, Kennedy encourages his audience to accept that there are many UNs. Some
focus on the “harder” agendas like peacekeeping and economic policy; others exist for “softer” issues
– international public health, environment, and human rights, to name just a few. The majority of this
work traces the world organization’s track record through the arenas in which it works.
Kennedy provides a good mix of history and analysis of operations, advancements and breakdowns in
the UN over the past half century. He refrains from employing unnecessary jargon, but offers enough to
make the average citizen more comfortable, perhaps, with the language being used to describe UN
procedure and decision making in the media.
Where Kennedy could have gone into more detail is in the “whys” behind UN successes. While he
spends much time on the causes and consequences of UN failures, he touches only briefly on the
times when the UN has achieved its goals, prevented war, or brokered successful ceasefires.
International catastrophes have been much analyzed by the media, academia, and political players,
and while Kennedy’s summary is useful, most of his opinions aren’t new. It would have been
interesting to discover more about what made an operation successful or what helped a policy
achieve its intentions. It’s more rare, of course, but there are lessons to be learned there as well.
Kennedy is clearly a proponent of the United Nations and, written by someone else, The Parliament of
Man might be a very different history with a less optimistic vision of the future.
Kennedy points out that the UN itself has a hard time responding to two big charges: (1) “they have not
had the capacity to assist the truly poor, lowest one billion people of this world, despite their best
efforts;” and (2) “they have had little role, if any, in the story of the amazing rise in the standards of living
of hundreds of millions of families worldwide, but chiefly in Asia.” Those two facts alone might be
enough to convince some that the UN isn’t worth its budget and that those resources could be better
allocated. A harsher critic would also likely spend more time on the scandals that have plagued the UN
in recent years.
Few people believe the UN can or should remain as it is now. In his final chapters, Kennedy provides a
number of suggestions and theories as to how the UN can be restructured to address the concerns of
the great powers as well a number of smaller, poorer countries, and some who didn’t even exist when
the Charter was created.
If the United Nations is to be a “parliament of man”, the person on the street ought to have a
knowledge of its history and a sampling of the opinions and controversy about where the UN is and
where it is going. Kennedy’s book provides just that. While a PhD student of international relations isn’
t likely to find an exposé or potential dissertation topic, members of the media and general public
would do well to read at least the parts of The Parliament of Man that pique their curiosity.
Kennedy’s conclusion is difficult to argue with. When acknowledging that the United Nations was
created by and is operated by mankind – and is thus subject to all of its human fallibilities - it is an
endeavor that reflects our greatest attributes: a desire for peace and the willingness to work for the
betterment of others in any way we find possible.
The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present and Future of The United Nations
Author: Paul Kennedy
Publisher: Random House, 2006
$26.95
### ### ###
Molly Nixon is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
| (c) 2006 New Criterion Foundation, London |
| Security. Ideologies. Multiculturalism. |