The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present and Future of the United Nations - Couverture souple

Kennedy, Paul

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0140285873 ISBN 13 : 9780140285871

Editeur : Penguin, 2007

Synopsis

In the course of the twentieth century, there occurred a development unique in the story of humankind. States, which had defined themselves from Thucydides to Bismarck by their claims to sovereign independence, gradually came together to create international organizations to promote peace, curb aggression, regulate diplomatic affairs, devise an international code of law, encourage social development and foster prosperity. The emergence of this network of global governance was not straightforward and the debate about its role is just as heated today as it was generations ago. In this long-awaited new book, Paul Kennedy, probably the best-selling historian now living, examines this key development in the history of our century. Beginning with the earliest forms of international organization, he goes on to trace the creation and changing role of the UN in the postwar era, and finally suggests how, in the face of new threats to security and the continued vigour of at least some nation states, the institution will need to change over the course of the twenty-first century, arguing that we all share the responsibility to make the only world organization we possess work as well as possible.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Paul Kennedy's The Parliament of Man: The United Nations and the Quest for World Government is the extraordinary story of the UN - its creation, the threats it has faced, and the possibilities it holds for the future. Can the world be governed by agreement rather than conflict? In 1945 the world's most powerful nation states came together to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights'. Over sixty years later, the United Nations still doggedly pursues that mandate. Paul Kennedy's The Parliament of Man is a timely history that examines the roots and functions of this unique organization, casts an objective eye on its past effectiveness and assesses whether it will meet the challenges of our present world - from supplying aid during humanitarian crises to combating climate change. Ultimately he shows why, despite its fallibility and its foibles, the UN remains utterly indispensable to our future. 'Wonderful ... a highly readable and sophisticated account'
  Independent 'Extraordinary ... a retelling of the United Nations story to remind us why it remains a necessary organisation'
  The New York Times 'A sweeping historical tour ... this is a necessary book'
  Financial Times 'Masterful'
  New Statesman 'Appealing ... Accessible ... never loses sight of the larger truth'
  Tony Judt, New York Review of Books Paul Kennedy is a Professor of History at Yale University. He took his doctorate in Oxford and began work shortly afterwards for the first great historian of the Second World War, Sir Basil Liddell Hart. Kennedy is the author or editor of nineteen books, including The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, which has been translated into over twenty languages, Preparing for the Twenty-First Century, The Parliament of Man and the now classic Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery.

Biographie de l'auteur :

Paul Kennedy is a Professor of History at Yale University. His books include The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and Preparing for the Twenty-First Century. He was born and brought up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Penguin
• Date d'édition: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0140285873
• ISBN 13: 9780140285871
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 384