Transcription
Well, you made it. This is the last topic of the entire stinking curriculum. But hey, wipe that tear off your cheek because we still got to learn about supranational organizations that have developed in a globalized world. So, if you're ready to get them braan cows milk United Nations style, let's get to it. Okay.
Now, all throughout this unit, we've been talking about how the world has been shrinking due to the globalization of economies and communication and travel and culture. A major effect of all of this has been the formation of several supranational organizations that have risen to help facilitate global cooperation. I've already introduced you to a few of them over the course of the last few videos: organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, etc. But for sure, the great granddaddy of all these organizations is the United Nations. So I reckon we ought to sit down and visit with it for a spell.
Now, you'll recall that the United Nations was created right after World War II had come to a close. Its purpose was to create an international body where nations could hammer out their problems by talking and negotiating rather than, you know, blowing each other up. The United Nations was kind of like the League of Nations 2.0. Remember that the League was created for the same purpose after World War I, but it didn't really have any authority to enforce its resolutions on member nations and so it largely failed its purpose. For example, when the League of Nations told Hitler to stop his expansion of German territory in Central Europe, Hitler was like, "…" and then he just kept on going. Same story over in Japan. Therefore, after World War II, the United Nations was created to shore up the weaknesses of the League of Nations. This organization aimed to accomplish two purposes: to prevent war and to facilitate cooperation among the world's nations. And to that end, the United Nations formed several different bodies, only two of which I'm going to tell you about here. So let's see how they're doing.
The first body of the UN is the General Assembly, which includes representatives from all member nations, which today includes 193 out of 195 states in the world. So only two independent states in the whole world are not members of the UN, which is to say they are classified as permanent observers in the General Assembly. First, you've got Vatican City, which is like the official state of the Catholic church, and the pope does not want the Vatican tied up in international politics. And, you know, according to Catholic Doctrine, the pope is infallible, so can't argue with that. The other non-member state is Palestine. And though they have applied for membership on multiple occasions, they haven't been accepted into the club. And I'm going to tell you why in just a minute. Anyway, the General Assembly is the body of the UN which is responsible for discussing and making policies for all member nations, many of which have humanitarian purposes. For example, the General Assembly created UNICEF, or if you're not into the whole brevity thing, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, in 1946 to provide social welfare services to children throughout the world. And since that time, UNICEF has rolled out global initiatives for child immunizations, education, and emergency relief for children and mothers in the aftermath of disasters. Now, in the era of decolonization, many newly independent states joined the UN, and the General Assembly swelled in size quick, fast, and in a hurry. As a result, for much of the second half of the 20th century, the General Assembly became a significant forum for negotiating and addressing the difficulties decolonized states faced in their era of independence.
Now, the second main body of the United Nations is known as the Security Council. This body is responsible for keeping peace in a globalized world. This is made up of five permanent members—the US, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom—and then 10 rotating representatives among the various member nations. Now, here's where things get a little saucy. Each of the five permanent members have veto power over any policies—like they wrote that power right into the charter—and that power has caused some, uh, contention. For example, in the midst of the Cold War, the UN was unable to prevent many wars throughout the world because the permanent members had no qualms about using their veto power to protect their own interests at the expense of global interests. Or more recently, the UN put forward a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022. But wait just a hot second. I think I remember saying about 30 seconds ago that Russia was one of those permanent members of the Security Council with that sweet, sweet veto power. And so can you guess which of those permanent members went ahead and vetoed that condemnation? Like it's Russia. Or do you remember earlier when I said that Palestine has been prevented from UN membership? Well, reach back into them brain folds to what you learned in Unit 8 about the creation of the state of Israel. Remember that this Jewish state, partitioned out of the heart of Muslim Palestine, was heartily supported by Western powers, none more than the United States and the United Kingdom. And then further remember that over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting for control over that territory. And so when Palestine applies for membership, can you think of any permanent members of the Security Council who might veto it? And look, I know that one is a contentious issue, but the only point I'm trying to make here is that the permanent members of the Security Council have often used that power to protect their own interests. Even so, the Security Council is able to work towards keeping peace in a way that the League of Nations could not. It has authority to send military peacekeepers to help stabilize violent situations and to impose economic sanctions on states that are creating the conditions for violence and war or otherwise violating human rights. And in some cases, the UN's peacekeeping efforts have been successful, as they were in negotiating a ceasefire agreement in Liberia in 2003 after years of civil war. However, in other cases, their efforts have failed, as they did in Rwanda in 1994. Despite a large presence of UN peacekeepers, they were slow to respond, and the Rwandan Genocide ultimately ended up with the death of an estimated 1 million people. Regardless, the existence of the United Nations is both the result of globalization and continues to foster the growth of globalization all at the same time.
And that is it. If you've been with me through all these videos, and let me just say I appreciate you coming along. It's been a long row, but we have finally reached the end. And I wish you all the best on your exam in May. And make sure you stick around the channel because I'll be doing everything I can to get you ready for it. Okay, since that national exam is right around the corner, you can click right here and check out my AP World Heimler review guide, which has everything you need to study as fast as possible and get that five that you deserve. So it's Heimler signing off for the last time in AP World History. I'll catch you on the flipflop. Heimler out.