An Introduction to the Law of the United Nations

Today, the UN is at the center of all multilateral international relations and is impossible to avoid. And, of course, the UN Charter is a foundational document without which modern international law cannot be properly understood. In spite of its importance, this pre-eminent world political organization is poorly understood by the general public, and the extent and variety of its activities is not widely appreciated. Even lawyers generally possess insufficient knowledge of the way its legal institutions operate. Assessments of the organization and judgements about its achievements are, consequently, frequently distorted. This compact, concise, and in-depth book - which is appropriate for research and course use - remedies these deficiencies in public and legal understanding, but also presents the UN as a coherent system of values and integrated action. Thus, the book presents an overarching view of the significance of the UN organization in general, the history of its origins in the League of Nations, the aims and principles of the Charter, governmental agencies, members of the Organization, the non-use of violence and collective security, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the question of amendments to the Charter.