Richard Gowan
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A U.N. peacekeeper in a blue helmet is seen in profile as he holds the pole of a blue U.N. flag in front of a razor wire border fence. Three other blue-helmet troops are visible behind him, holding rifles and peering at the camera.
The landscape beyond the fence is a dusty hill spotted with sparse plants.U.N. peacekeeping troops from the Indian contingent secure the Lebanese border with Israel, seen on the outskirts of of Kfarchouba on Aug. 26, 2023. Marwan Naamani/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
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The United Nations celebrates its 80th birthday in a state of advanced disarray. Signed by the representatives of 50 states on June 26, 1945,
the organization’s charter set out to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Today, the U.N. has 193 members, but amid ongoing bloodshed in Ukraine and Gaza and elsewhere, none of them—including the five veto powers in the Security Council—can pretend that it is succeeding.
The war between Israel and Iran has only highlighted the organization’s limitations. The Security Council has met repeatedly to discuss the crisis;
ambassadors have traded barbs; and China, Russia, and Pakistan drafted a resolution condemning the U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. But this is all little more than diplomatic performance art, and nobody really believes that the U.N. has the authority to halt the war.
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