This book serves as a comprehensive yet concise guide to the political workings of the United Nations system. It details the purposes and structure of the organization, with specific chapters on peace and security, disarmament and human rights. In the final chapter, the problems facing the UN are examined. Tables provide information on the size and distribution of UN membership, peace-keeping operations and the use of the Security Council veto. It includes the full text of the UN Charter. This book will be of interest to students and professors of political science, security studies,...

Literature on the UN is as wide-ranging as the organisation's remit; there exists a multitude of books, articles and reports on its various programmes and activities. The very breadth of literature about the organisation can make it hard to navigate and understand.

The format of this Major Work is ideally suited to a serious treatment of the United Nations that can clarify and illuminate its structures and role, and make it accessible to scholars and practitioners. The generous eight-volume format, containing the best cross-disciplinary articles from around the world, provides...