United Nations: A History

by Stanley Meisler

Overview

United Nations: A History begins with its creation in 1945. Although the organization was created to prevent war, many conflicts have arisen, ranging from The Korean War, to The Six Day War, to genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda. Stanley Meisler’s in-depth research examines the crises and many key political leaders. In this second edition, Meisler brings his popular history up to date with accounts of the power struggles of the last fifteen years, specifically spotlighting the terms of secretaries-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. This is an important, riveting, and impartial guide through the past and recent events of the sixty-five-year history of the United Nations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802145291
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	12/13/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	718,948
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Stanley Meisler, the author of three books, served as a Los Angeles Times foreign and diplomatic correspondent for thirty years, assigned to Nairobi, Mexico City, Madrid, Toronto, Paris, the United Nations and Washington. He still contributes articles to the Times and writes a commentary for his website, stanleymeisler.com.

Table of Contents

A Note from the Author ix

A Note on the Expanded Edition xv

1 The Beginnings: From Dumbarton Oaks to San Francisco 1

2 Trygve Lie and Iran: Off to a Bad Start 21

3 Ralph Bunche and the Infant State of Israel 36

4 The Korean War: No More Manchurias 55

5 Dag Hammarskjöld 75

6 Suez: The Empires Strike Out 94

7 The Battles of Katanga and the Crash of Hammarskjöld 115

8 Adlai Stevenson and the Cuban Missile Crisis: The U.N as Theater 135

9 U Thant and the Quest for Peace in Vietnam 153

10 The Six-Day War 169

11 Kurt Waldheim: The Big Lie 185

12 Zionism Is Racism 204

13 UNESCO: Defenses of Peace in the Minds of Men 222

14 Javier Perez de Cuellar and the End of the Cold War 239

15 The Persian Gulf War 257

16 Boutros Boutros-Ghali 278

17 The Somalia Debacle 294

18 Alibi: The U.N. in Bosnia 312

19 Horrors in Rwanda 334

20 Kofi Annan: The Accidental Secretary-General 345

21 America Defies the U.N. and Invades Iraq 355

22 Ban Ki-moon, the Slippery Eel 371

Epilogue: The Arab Spring 384

Sources 391

A U.N. Chronology 413

Appendix: U.N. Peacekeeping Missions 429

Index 435

Editorial Reviews

“Balanced and insightful, this book is a must for anyone who wants to understand where the U.N. has been and, more importantly, how we might best use its potential for the future.” —Thomas R. Pickering, U.S. ambassador to Russia and former ambassador to the U.N.

“Stanley Meisler tells the story of the United Nations, its promise and its problems, with clarity and authority. He brings to life the history of the world organization and [65 years] of America’s hopes for and frustration with the world government… This is a definitive account of the United Nations for a general audience, told by a master.” —Jim Hoagland, chief foreign correspondent, The Washington Post

From the Publisher