What exactly is the united nations?

Question

Will help if you can explain!

Answer 1

Great question.

Answer 2

A complete waste of space.

But you can always look here: - http://www.un.org/english/

Answer 3

Besides the wiki approach to all answers, a little context might be in order.

The UN formed after its predecessor The League of Nations failed miserably to prevent World War II.

At the end of major conflict in 1945, the world stood at the edge of getting right back into war only this time the allies against the Soviets and China.

No one knew how many nuclear weapons were available for use.  The US had used their entire arsenal on the Japanese, but no one in the world knew that.  So the Americans were afraid that the Soviets had an advantage (it turns out the Soviets did not have a working bomb until five years later)

The Soviets knew they had no bomb, and assumed (incorrectly) the US had several more.

The UN's mandate was simple.

Prevent WWIII at all costs.  

The UN charter was designed with this and only this in mind.

All borders at the end of WWII were sacrosanct.

All signing countries were guaranteed sovereignty over their internal affairs.  Human rights, economic rights, free trade were all secondary or tertiary concerns.  The victors of WWII became the permanent members of the Security Council.

The politicians of the time were terrified by the prospect of a war that stood to make WWII look like a picnic.

The UN today tries to do other work, but its primary function is still to prevent WWIII.  Smaller "police actions" like the Korean War, Vietnam, or Iraq are tolerated because there is no redrawing of borders.

The UN fails when it tries to become the League of Nations, a world governement body, rather than simply a forum for nations to speak with each other.

This frustrates idealists, but is the lifes blood of international pragmatists.

So, the UN has succeeded in its primary mandate for 70 years.

Now, google and wiki to your heart's content

Answer 4

Its just like a governing body, it has representatives from all the countries that are part of the UN, and they help resolve international issues, so they stop all the countries from bickering!

Answer 5

The united nations is an international organisation that aims to promote peace and harmony amongst nations.

But it is also fiction.  It has no sovereign authority outside of the very building it is housed in, no taxing authority, no political power, it is in fact totsl fiction.  Apart from the fact that it has a flag and a central HQ building, it is a complete myth.  The UN exists in the minds of statesmen, but it does not exist in reality.

Answer 6

Under the Charter, the functions and powers of the Security Council are:

to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations;

to investigate any dispute or situation which mightlead to international friction;

to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;

to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;

to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend what action should be taken;

to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent or stop aggression;

to take military action against an aggressor;

to recommend the admission of new Members;

to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";

to recommend to the GeneralAssembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of Justice.

http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/

http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_functions...

Answer 7

It's an international organization based on the corruption and endorsed by the powers of the world.

Answer 8

"The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.

The United Nations was founded in 1945 to replace the League of Nations, in the hope that it would intervene in conflicts between nations and thereby avoid war."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nati...

Your best, though biased source, will be their own website:

http://www.un.org/Overview/uninbrief/

http://www.un.org/aboutun/unhistory/

Answer 9

The United Nations is a pawn of the United States to enforce what it wants just like invading countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.