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International Relations in Europe:

Post-World War II Europe: The United Nations had very little power from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s due to the fact that it was still newly formed and had little prestige and few resources. The U.N. was unable to take actions in setting up governments in eastern Europe or settling postwar  (after World War II ) differences. It was also unable to control the development of atomic weapons. There were so few members that the U.N. was moved strictly by the policies of nations rather than by justice. This can be seen in the veto of the Baruch Plan (1946), a plan which would have ensured that atomic research was used for peaceful means only. The Baruch Plan did not work because the representatives of each nation, primarily the U.S.S.R. and the U.S., were acting in a manner that would benefit their countries rather than the world as a whole. U.S. representatives refused to give up all their nuclear knowledge in exchange for simply a paper promise of compliance, while U.S.S.R. representatives argued that the U.S. was trying to find out the state of nuclear development of other nations before revealing its own. This is just one of many instances early in U.N. history where it was the plaything of powerful nations rather than a coordinator of those nations.

International Relations in the Middle East:

Creation of Israel: BBetween the late-1920s and the late-1940s, hostilities between the Jewish and Arab nations exploded. They were living together in Palestine but could not cooperate while living in the same country. As a result, in April 1947, the U.N. recommended that Palestine be divided into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The member states of the UN agreed,   on May 14, 1948, the Jewish state received 5,500 square miles of Palestine, mostly in the Negev, now called Israel.  However, this did not see an end of hostilities, as the Arabs immediately declared a Jihad (holy war) on the Jews. The very next day, the Arab League sent 40,000 men to attack a Jewish force of 30,000 men. The Jews managed to keep the Arabs back. The U.N. declared a cease-fire on May 20, but it was unable to come up with a solution acceptable to both sides. Thus the Israelis resumed hostilities and crushed the Arab forces in July, and continued offensives brought them to the border of Lebanon in October. A truce was reached in March 1949, but no Arab state yet recognized the legitimacy of Israel.

Suez Crisis: In July 1956 Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. England, France, and Israel were furious and joined together to attack Egypt. England and France simply wanted to recapture the Suez Canal, but Israel also intended to wipe out the Egyptian army, neutralize Palestinian bases in Gaza, and capture the Strait of Tiran. Israel then captured the Mitla Pass with an air attack, while England and France bombed Egyptian bases. Together they managed to force the Egyptian army out of Sinai. Then the United Nations, at the urging of the United States, ordered a  cease-fire on November 1, 1956. When England and France ignored the cease-fire by attacking Port Said, the United Nations sent peace-keeping forces to the Sinai and Gaza strip. This was probably the second time the U.N. played a major role in international affairs (the first being the Korean War), and its resolution of the problem lasted for ten years.

Six-Day War: The Palestinians met at the Cairo Conference of 1964 to pledge themselves to fight against Israel. Later Egyptian leader Nasser demanded the removal of U.N. peace-keeping forces from Sinai in accordance with the 1956 cease-fire agreement. In response, Secretary-General Thant ordered the removal of U.N. peace-keeping troops on May 19, 1967. On May 23, four days later, Nasser barred Israeli shipping from the Gulf of Aqaba. Egyptian and Iraqi troops then arrived in Jordan, and the Israeli Cabinet decided to strike first. The Israeli airforce destroyed the Palestinian planes which were on the ground, and within six days the Israeli army had driven the Arabs out of Sinai, beyond the West Bank of the Jordan, and out of Golan Heights in Syria. The U.N. Security Council ordered a cease-fire and tried to negotiate a peace treaty, but Israel insisted that the Arab nations recognize its independence and promise to stop attacking it, while the Arab nations refused just as stubbornly. Thus Israel held on to its captured territories yet would continue to be attacked by its Palestinian neighbors because the United Nations could not force either side to give in.

Palestinian Liberation Organization: The 1970s came and still the Arab nations did not recognize Israel as a nation. As a result, Palestinians increasingly joined the Palestinian Liberation Organization, a militant Arab group which demanded Israel’s destruction. In October 1973 Egypt and Syria launched surprise attacks against Israel on Yom Kippur, the most sacred Jewish holy day. Israel was only able to repulse the attack with the help of American military supply shipments. Once Israel had regained its former position, both the United States and the USSR wanted the U.N. to declare a cease-fire, and the U.N. did. However, the infuriated Israelis ignored the cease-fire , and the U.N. did. However, the infuriated Israelis ignored the cease-fire and continued the offensive, eventually trapping a 20,000-man Egyptian army in an inescapable corner. The Israeli army was all ready to destroy the Egyptian army, but the United States threatened to cease supplying weapons to Israel, so Israel did not destroy the Egyptian army. The Arab nations cut off oil shipments to the United States and its allies in retaliation for their having given weapons to Israel in the first place. Both the United State’s efficient bargaining with Israel and the powerful effect of the OPEC oil embargo in the United States revealed the power that the world superpowers had at that time when the United Nations was still young and not as powerful.

International Relations in Asia:

Korean War: On June 24, 1950, troops from North Korea crossed the North Korean/ South Korean border (the thirty-eighth parallel) to attack South Korea. Just three days later, on June 27, President Truman asked the U.N. to authorize the expulsion of the North Koreans from South Korea. The United Nations agreed, and General Douglas MacArthur became commander of the U.N. troops. The North Koreans had the upper hand until mid-September of 1950, at which time MacArthur made an amphibious assault on Inchon. This turned the tide for the moment, as the North Koreans were driven back across the thirty-eighth parallel within two weeks. MacArthur then pushed into North Korea in the hopes of freeing it from communism. When the UN troops approached the Korean/ Chinese border, China warned that it would not let them come to the border. However, MacArthur made a mistake and continued on, only to be met by thirty-three Chinese divisions. These Chinese divisions counterattacked on November 25 and had driven the U.N. forces back to the thirty-eighth parallel within two weeks. The struggle ended in a stalemate in July 1953, and the many dollars spent and lives lost seemed wasted. Although the Korean War truly was a terrible war costing many lives and merely containing the communists, it also marked the true beginning of U.N. influence in international affairs.

 International Relations in Africa:

Last Updated: March 19, 2006