The United Nations and changing world politics / Thomas G. Weiss, David P. Forsythe, Roger A. Coate.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-299) and index.

Foreword to the Second Edition / Inis L. Claude, Jr. -- 1. The Theory of UN Collective Security -- 2. The Reality of UN Security Efforts During the Cold War -- 3. UN Security Operations After the Cold War -- 4. Groping Toward the Twenty-first Century -- 5. The United Nations, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Affairs: The Theory -- 6. The United Nations and Applying Human Rights Standards -- 7. Change, the United Nations, and Human Rights -- 8. Developmentalism and the United Nations -- 9. Ecodevelopment and the United Nations -- 10. Sustainable Development and Human Security: Problems and Prospects for the UN Beyond the 1990s -- Conclusion: Learning from Change -- App. The United Nations System.

In this fresh, thematic text, the authors bring the UN alive from its historical foundations to its expanding role in the post-Cold War arena. Students of all levels will learn what the UN is, how it operates, and what its relationships are with external actors and institutions.

Using insights from their practical as well as academic experience with the UN, the authors show how the UN has influenced norms and operations in three keys areas - security, human rights, and sustainable development - and provide recommendations for improved UN performance in the future. Well-documented and illustrated, The United Nations and Changing World Politics is essential to a comprehensive and contemporary understanding of the world's leading intergovernmental organization.