LMC 2018

The UN: Fit for Purpose?

The UN was born in 1945 from a desperate need to prevent the horrors of the Second World War ever recurring. Almost eight decades later, while global-scale conflict has been avoided, the world is still not a safe place. New crises continue to emerge and unforeseen security challenges, forms of warfare and battlegrounds challenge the peace. Yet the UN is largely unchanged. Is the Security Council fit to deal with questions such as international law in cyberspace, hybrid warfare and fake news? Can the UN reconcile the interests of its small and large member states? Is this organisation fit for purpose and, if not, what might the alternatives be?