Abstract
As the world changes, so does the United Nations. As the 21st century opened, the United Nations had experienced a brief euphoric period when in the Iraq war of 1991 collective security appeared to work for the first time as planned. An active new Secretary-General had offered apparently acceptable prescriptions for strengthening the UN capacity to maintain peace. But Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali soon suffered from the debacle in Somalia and growing frustration from important American political elements. Although his successor in 1997, Kofi Annan, brought new energy to his office and then presided over considerable enthusiasm at the high-level Millennium General Assembly, the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2002 and the buildup to the second war in Iraq once again brought confusion and widespread gloom to the atmosphere.
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© 2005 Peter R. Baehr and Leon Gordenker
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Baehr, P.R., Gordenker, L. (2005). The 21st Century: a Changing UN. In: The United Nations: Reality and Ideal. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230501096_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230501096_7
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