The U.N. for Beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #59

by Ian Williams, Christian Clark (Illustrator)

1995 was the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations - so don't you think it's about time that you learned what the U.N. is? For half a century, most people have agreed on the importance of the United Nations - but most of us have no idea how the U.N. works! How and why was the U.N. founded? Is it a future World Government in waiting? Or is it a diplomatic "in-tray," where governments can file intractable problems to preserve the illusion of action? And most important of all, Where does the real power lay? With wit and irony, The U.N. For Beginners takes a critically supportive look at the U.N. and its components, cutting through the red tape to show the gaps between dreams and reality. This overview of the world's most famous organization is accessible to beginners and refreshing for the more experienced. Dazzle your friends and enemies by becoming the first person in your neighborhood to know what the United Nations is really about.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This illustrated history is sort of a comic book, part of the "For Beginners" series from WritersAndReaders.com. The author does not have a bio in this book, but he is clearly well-versed in UN history and communicates the basic history of the organization ably and in an entertaining (if depressing) fashion. He also voices strong criticism against the UN for being overly bureaucratic, dithering, and having a reprehensible record on opposing human rights violations. I'm left with the sense that the UN is largely ineffectual and a tool of its most powerful member states, which I pretty much knew -- but now I know why and how, at least insofar as Mr. Williams presents it.

Nonetheless, there is a sense that Williams opposes the UN's many failings because of its great potential for change. He seems to feel that the UN itself will never change because it is the province of entrenched bureaucracy, but that many of its staff members have the best interests of the planet at heart, and many other worldwide organizations are working for meaningful change, often in concert with the UN.

I was hoping for a bit more on the actual organization of the UN -- what a meeting looks like, what the various staff positions are; it was pretty light on that. But as a guide to the main issues in the UN's history -- up to 1995, when the book was written -- it's indispensable and a great introduction.