Rediscovering the UN’s founding optimism to restore global peace and cooperation |
As the world marked the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter on June 26, 2025, the global mood was anything but celebratory. In a world teetering on the edge of multiple geopolitical crises – from the deepening wars in Gaza and Ukraine to a dangerous flare-up involving Israel, Iran, and the United States – the very institution designed to avert global catastrophe now finds itself sidelined, powerless, and often scorned. And yet, the need for an effective, fair, and collaborative multilateral order has never been more urgent.
Founded in the smoldering aftermath of the Second World War, the United Nations was born not merely out of necessity, but out of a profound collective yearning to avoid repeating the past. Fifty nations came together in San Francisco in 1945 to sign a Charter whose preamble famously pledged “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” It was an act of moral and political resolve, of optimism triumphing over despair. The world, reeling from genocide, ruin, and global warfare, dared to believe that a new architecture of peace and cooperation was possible.
Eighty years later, that optimism has waned. Conflict, climate catastrophe, inequality, and mass displacement are increasing, while the institutions meant to coordinate global solutions have been hamstrung by political gridlock, financial starvation, and cynical power politics. The United Nations, once envisioned as a moral compass and guardian of international peace and justice, is now dismissed by many as a bloated bureaucracy or an ineffectual relic of a bygone era.
This erosion of trust is not without cause. The UN Security Council, the organization’s most powerful body, has often been paralyzed by the veto powers of its permanent members – particularly the United........