The Prospects and Limitations of Diplomacy

1974 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Thompson

The postwar era in international politics has been one of success and failure in the search for conflict adjustment among major powers. It is sobering to examine the list of issues inscribed at one time or another on the agenda of the United Nations and count the number for which resolution has never been achieved. For example, little, if any progress has been made toward a political settlement in the Middle East, South Africa's policies, Eastern Europe, the denuclearization of Latin America or countless other issues outstanding around the world. It would be interesting to compare the pattern of conflict adjustment in international assemblies with that in national legislative bodies to throw light on the differences between the processes and prospects at the two levels.

1978 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick H. Gareau

Observers have been intrigued by the relationship which has developed between the United Nations and Africa, a continent that now houses one-third of the membership of the world institution. Investigators have been seduced by subjects such as African frustration with the world organisation,1 African cohesion on Assembly roll-calls,2 African co-operation with Latin America in New York,3 or the impact of Mother Africa's offspring upon the United Nations.4 A few authors have sensed the magnitude of the impact which the world organisation has had upon the continent5, and several have detailed discrete instances of what has happened. What we have not seen is a general assessment of this impact with supporting data. My aim is to fill this gap in the literature, and to determine to what extent the existence of the United Nations has made a difference for Africa.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneek Chatterjee ◽  

The United Nations Organization has completed more than sixty-three years of existence. In these six decades, the world has moved far ahead, and power calculations have changed. The days of bi-polarity ended with the demise of the Cold War. International politics, though unipolar in nature at present, is showing tendencies of multi polarity. Globalization has introduced a new economy of free trade in the world. In this altered international political and economic milieu, demands for restructuring the United Nations, which is guided by an old, mostly outdated charter, have been gaining ground, particularly after the end of the Cold War. But reforming the United Nations would not be very easy, because amending the Charter is extremely difficult, and requires political consensus among members, which is not easily achievable. However, minor reforms that do not require the amendment of the Charter may be introduced to make the United Nations more adept to face today's challenges. The present paper analyzes the problems and prospects of the reform proposals, and shows that there is a gap between the hope and the reality.


2011 ◽  
pp. 158-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Curtin ◽  
Christopher Walker

This chapter introduces the United Nations global e-government readiness reports, for which we serve as primary researchers, with particular focus on Latin America. The UN reports provide useful composite scores and rankings on 191 countries worldwide with respect to e-government, e-readiness, and e-participation, as well as highlighting best practices that have been identified throughout the world. In particular, the UN reports provide meaningful insights into the development of e-government in Latin America—facilitating comparative analysis between regions, as well as country comparisons within Latin America.Basing itself on the UN report, the chapter provides a comparative analysis of e-government in Latin America—both intra- and interregional comparisons—with the main objective of elevating e-government literature to a more quantitatively rigorous and sophisticated level. This chapter aims at introducing the UN report, outlining its main findings, and reporting how Latin America compares with the world in e-government readiness and development. It first outlines the background of the UN report, followed by the research methodology. Then it discusses the findings relevant to Latin America, with a brief conclusion on topics for future research and discussion.


1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-124
Author(s):  
Michael M. Gunter

During the past decade, a number of scholarly analyses of the United Nations ministate problem have appeared. This concern is understandable because the dilemma of ministate representation goes to the heart of the malaise increasingly gripping the world organization: How to square formal voting power with the realities of international politics? Indeed, no less of an authority than the late Secretary-General U Thant, in his final Annual Report, warned his reluctant audience that the ministate problem “is likely to become more acute in the years to come.”


1991 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-331
Author(s):  
Oscar Schachter

Leland Goodrich, a foremost authority on the United Nations, died in New York on November 16, 1990. His many books and articles on the United Nations have enlightened students, diplomats and officials for more than four decades. They exemplify meticulous scholarship and a deep understanding of practical ways and means in the world of international politics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baroness Molly Meacher

SummaryHumans have always used mind-altering drugs. However, in 1961 the United Nations approved the Single Convention, under which the production, sale or possession of a number of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis, became illegal. The prohibitionist regime was then introduced by most countries around the world and has substantially remained in place ever since. Some countries, particularly those in Latin America, have never criminalised the use of cannabis. A small number of countries have introduced more liberal policies. This article examines the evidence of the consequences of policy liberalisation and argues that there is now a clear case for every country to examine its drug policies and to introduce evidence-based policies with a public health focus.Declaration of interestNone.


Author(s):  
Poeliu Dai

The canadian plan suggested to the 21st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966 for re-allocating China's seat in the world Organization was designed to bring about a breakthrough in resolving a question of great complexity that has beset that Organization for some 17 years. It has attracted world-wide attention and evoked various comments by both practitioners and students of international politics.Before analyzing the contents and denoting the legal and political implications of the plan, it is necessary to review briefly the background and the discussions of the question of China's representation at the 21st General Assembly.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Hamer ◽  
Hanna Hamet

By detailed analyses of Polish and world statistics, the authors search for the answer if in fact,as some politicians and citizens claim, the world and in particular European Union and Polandare overcome by the wave of violence. Data gathered, among others, by Polish Public OpinionResearch Center (CBOS), Eurostat and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNOCD), aswell as anthropologists and police, clearly prove the opposite. Scientific comparisons concerningviolence over the centuries show that its scale drastically decreased and the world gets saferwith time. Statistical reports of the United Nations especially clearly indicate European Union(including Poland) as particularly peaceful region against the rest of the world, having the lowestmurder rates. Eurostat data confirm these results, also showing decrease in other crimes overthe years. Polish police data similarly prove existence of this trend and CBOS indicates thatit is reflected in increasing sense of security among Poles. In the second part of the article theauthors explain potential reasons for using such false slogans as “increasing wave of violence” bypoliticians and raising fear in voters as well as psychological mechanisms responsible for theirpotential effectiveness.


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