Great Debates at the United Nations: An Encyclopedia of Fifty Key Issues, 1945-2000 / Edition 1

by Robert F. Gorman

Overview

Perfect for promoting student debate, and critical thinking, and ideal for use by Model UN clubs, this ready-reference guide provides information and critical examinations of the 50 most important issues debated in UN history. Since the inception of the UN in 1945, its member nations have hotly debated the most incendiary global political issues, from human rights and Cold War conflicts to many regional and local clashes, most recently in Kosovo. The 50 entries are organized in chronological order based on their first appearance on the UN agenda. Each entry consists of four narrative sections: the significance of the issue; the historical, social and economic background of the issue; the history of the UN debate and intervention on the issue and the positions of various nations; and the outcome of the debate. Each entry concludes with a list of suggested further reading. More than fifty photos accompany the text.

Among the issues debated are those of UN peacekeeping efforts around the globe; issues of concern to Third World countries; the nuclear arms race; regional conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America; human rights; world population growth; the environment; laws of the sea; issues of food; the status of women; and racism. Cross-references will help the user to locate related topics. A timeline of events in the history of the UN, a bibliographic essay, a glossary, and a number of appendices including lists of UN world years, UN peacekeeping operations, Secretaries General of the UN and Presidents of the UN General Assembly add reference value to the work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313313868
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.06(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

ROBERT F. GORMAN is Distinguished Teaching Professor of Humanities and Professor of Political Science at Southwest Texas State University. He served as a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for Refugee Programs, working on African refugee issues, and was also a visiting scholar at Africare, an American private voluntary organization. He is the author of numerous articles on refugee affairs, African politics, foreign affairs, and international relations. He is the author of many books, including Historical Dictionary of Refugee and Disaster Relief Organizations (2000), Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations (1997), and Refugee Aid and Development: Theory and Practice (Greenwood Press, 1993).

Table of Contents

Preface
Timeline of Events
Introduction
The Fifty Great Debates
Disarmament (1946)
Status and Condition of Children (1946)
The Southwest Africa (Namibia) Dispute (1946)
Refugees and Stateless Persons (1946)
World Monetary System (1947)
Arab-Israeli Dispute (1947)
India-Pakistan Dispute (1948)
Health (1948)
Genocide (1948)
Human Rights (1948)
Membership and Representation Questions (1950)
Korean War (1950)
Defining Aggression (1950)
Apartheid in South Africa (1952)
Population (1954)
The Hungarian Question (1956)
Congo Crisis (1960)
Decolonization (1960)
Narcotics Control (1961)
UN Financing Crisis (1961)
Rhodesian Question (1962)
Vietnam Question (1963)
Cyprus Question (1963)
Trade and Development (1964)
Third World Development Programming (1964)
Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1965)
Global Environment (1972)
Terrorism (1972)
Law of the Sea (1973)
New International Economic Order (1974)
Codes of Conduct for Transnational Corporations (1974)
Food Issues (1974)
The Status of Women (1975)
Zionism as Racism (1975)
East Timor Question (1975)
Human Settlements (1976)
Central American Wars (1978)
Cambodia Situation (1979)
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979)
New International Information Order (1980)
Iran-Iraq War (1980)
Angola Situation (1981)
UN Reforms (1985)
Persian Gulf War (1990)
Balkan Civil Wars (1991)
Somali Civil War (1991)
Mozambique Situation (1992)
Haiti Situation (1993)
Rwandan Civil War (1993)
Kosovo Situation (1998)
Appendixes
Glossary
Bibliographic Essay
Index

Editorial Reviews

This reference guide provides information and critical examinations of 50 issues debated in United Nations history. These include human rights, Cold War clashes, and regional and local conflicts (most recently Kosovo). Entries are arranged in chronological order based on their first appearance on the UN agenda. Each entry consists of four narrative sections covering the significance of the issue, the historical, social, and economic background of the issues, the history of UN debate and intervention (as well as the positions of various nations), and the outcome of each debate. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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