Rev. ed. of: The United Nations at the end of the 1990s. 3rd ed. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-189) and index.

1. Introduction -- Independent states -- Interdependent societies -- International law -- Reforming world politics -- Conferences and decisions -- Functional cooperation in the 19th century -- The Concert of Europe -- The Hague Peace Conferences -- The League of Nations -- World War II and the UN -- The San Francisco Conference -- 2. Charter and structure of the United Nations -- Close relatives -- The General Assembly -- The Security Council -- The Economic and Social Council -- The Trusteeship Council -- The International Court of Justice -- The Secretariat -- Cluster of UN agencies -- Organizational tension -- 3. Membership and decision-making -- Chinese representation -- Divided states -- Ministates -- Weighted voting -- Decision-making processes -- Fundamental changes -- Voting groups -- Groups and voting positions -- The political significance of resolutions -- Slow decision-making -- Finances -- U.S. debt to UN -- 4. The maintenance of peace and security -- Pacific settlement of disputes -- Coercive measures -- Practical use of Charter concepts -- Israel and neighbors -- Cyprus -- Congo -- New style peace operations -- Namibia -- Cambodia -- Collective coercive measures -- Korea -- Iraq and the attack on Kuwait -- After Iraq I -- Terror attacks on the United States -- Iraq II -- Frustrations in Middle East -- Uniting for peace -- Hybrid forms of peace-keeping -- Somalia -- Yugoslavia -- Rwanda -- Haiti -- Central America -- Second thoughts on peace-keeping -- Limits and potentials in maintaining peace -- Arms control and weapons of mass destruction -- Non-proliferation -- Ban on nuclear testing -- Demilitarized and nuclear-free zone -- Chemical and biological weapons -- Conclusion -- 5. Human rights and decolonization -- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- The international covenants for human rights -- Other human rights activities -- High Commissioner for Human Rights -- The Israeli-Occupied Territories -- Specialized Agencies -- The International Criminal Court -- The right of self-determination -- Declaration on non-self-governing territories -- The Trusteeship System -- Declaration on Granting of Independence -- The imposition of economic sanctions -- East Timor (Timor Leste) -- Remaining colonial issues -- Apartheid -- Conclusion -- 6. Cooperation for economic and social progress -- Global conferences -- Economic and social data -- Reduction of poverty -- Technical assistance -- UN Population Fund -- UN Capital Development Fund -- UN University -- W Volunteers -- UN Children's Fund -- UN Conference on Trade and Development -- New International Economic Order -- The global environment -- Refugees and disasters -- Narcotics drug control -- AIDS -- Conventional economic, social and cultural cooperation -- 7. The 21st century : a changing UN -- Collective legitimization -- The Soviet Union -- The five policemen -- The Third World -- The United States -- The Secretary-General -- The specialized agencies -- The UN in the 21st century -- Appendix. Charter of the United Nations.