ConUNdrum: The Limits of the United Nations and the Search for Alternatives

Although rooted in noble aims, the United Nations has a long history of failing to solve the world's most critical problems―such as war, terrorism, genocide, poverty and pandemics. Despite this poor track record, the U.N. has managed to increase its budgets and expand its mandate and activities into new areas in which it has little expertise. Billions of hard-earned American tax dollars are invested in the U.N each year, but U.S. efforts to improve the effectiveness of the organization seemingly have little effect.

This book discusses the many weaknesses and failings of the current U.N. system and offers practical solutions for reform. The group of U.N. experts gathered here discuss a range of issues addressed by the U.N., including peace and security, international law, human rights, economic development, and transnational concerns like health and the environment. They suggest ways to improve efforts to work within the U.N. framework to address critical international problems and ways to work outside of it when the U.N. proves to be a poor vehicle. In some cases, they propose alternative multilateral efforts to address problems for which the U.N. is uniquely unsuited.

Published in cooperations wtih the Heritage Foundation.