War is a man-made disease. Any disease requires an agent, which in case of war, is weaponry. Nations, and people living in them are hosts, who bear the brunt of the agent. Environment that facilitates the agent to act in this case is politics of conflict, and human ambition to conquer. In 1945, when world was tired of raging multinational wars, we created United Nations (UN), in a hope that it will take care of the environment and agents of war.
On 24 October 1945, the five permanent members of the UN (US, Russia (then USSR), UK, France and China) ratified its charter. The opening sentence of preamble of this charter is also expressed in postage stamps from UN. The idea was to save succeeding generations from war. If disease theory is to be considered, either eliminating weaponry (removing the agent), or overcoming political conflict and ambition (controlling environment) could have prevented wars.
At the same time was the formation of UN, it formed its security council (UNSC). It initially had eleven (now fifteen) members, including five permanent ones, who can veto (or block) any resolution they want. Power to veto resolutions, is often akin to a game of chess, especially when conflicts involve these countries, directly or indirectly.
The first sentence in the UN charter continues as “…which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind”. The preamble goes on to recognize “equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small”. The righteousness reflected in the charter, has been tested numerous times in 80+ years of UN’s existence. History of conflicts between nations is the best judge of all these tests.
First ten years 1945-55, and Korean war
In its first 10 years of existence, Korean war (1950-53) was its first test. In 1945 Korea, a colony of the defeated Japan, was divided in a Soviet administered North, and a US administered South. An armed incursion by the North (supported by USSR and China) in 1950, was eventually repelled by the joint UN forces (led by US) in 1953.
Interestingly the formation of joint UN force was not vetoed by either USSR or China. This was because USSR had boycotted UNSC from January to August 1950. Further, mainland China (or People’s Republic of China) was not yet recognized as legitimate. Till 1971, China was represented by Taiwan (or Republic of China) in UN proceedings.
UN. The council existed till 1994, till independence of its last territory in the Pacific- Palau
UN completes 25 years in 1970, and Vietnam war
The next 15 years were dominated by the Vietnam wars. Vietnam (then Indo-China) was a French colony, occupied by the Japanese during second world war. Like Korea, Northern part was liberated by the Chinese and Southern part by the US forces. Eventually the two artificially created countries (North and South Vietnam) had an armed conflict. As US was directly supporting the South, and USSR and China were supporting the North – UN remained a mute spectator. This 20 year conflict (1955-1975) saw about 4 million deaths.
In 1970, UN turned 25. In these years, UN arranged for peacekeeping missions in Suez, Cyprus and Congo. Colonization was coming to an end, and in 1968, many countries agreed for nuclear-non proliferation. The UN had firmly established itself as a central player in international diplomacy and crisis management, despite the limitations of the Cold war and a spectator role in Vietnam.
The next quarter (1970-1995), and UN turns 50
The next quarter saw liberation of Bangladesh (1971), Soviet Afghan wars (1979-89), Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), and the Gulf war (1990-91). Of these the strongest UN response was to the Gulf war of 1990, when Iraq had invaded and occupied Kuwait. Combined UN forces were able to liberate Kuwait in a few months. Other conflicts culminated without UN intervention (eg Bangladesh), or with terminal arrangements when conflict had already worn out (eg Afghanistan or Iraq).
However, during this period, the UN facilitated peace settlements in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mozambique. In 1971, mainland China was recognized as legitimate member of UN, replacing Taiwan. In 1989-1990 UN oversaw Namibia’s transition to independence from South Africa. It monitored a ceasefire, supervised free elections, facilitated the repatriation of refugees, and oversaw the creation of a new constitution, ensuring a peaceful transition to independence.
This was also a period, when UN took up environmental protection role. In 1972 UN established an agency for environmental issues (UNEP), which took up issues such as climate change and ozone depletion. Small pox was declared eradicated in 1980, and UNICEF launched immunization programs in a big way. The UN was a major factor in opposing apartheid in South Africa, leading to its end, and multiracial elections in the country in 1994
Third Quarter 1995-2020, UN turns 75
The third quarter was chaotic. Yugoslavia was engaged in civil wars, starting 1991. Europe was witness to this regional conflict, that saw genocides in Serbia, Bosnia and Kosovo. While UN peacekeepers were stationed in the region, they failed to prevent massacres.
In 2001, following World trade center attack, US invaded Afghanistan. This 20-year US occupation, supported by NATO did not have a strong UN-backing. In 2003, US also invaded Iraq, on pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction. UN could not prevent this war, that raged from 2003-2011. In 2011, Syria entered a period of civil war, and again any UN resolutions in this regard were blocked by Russia.
Nonetheless, UN was jointly awarded a Nobel Peace prize in 2001. While the award emphasized the importance of organized, multilateral cooperation between states, it was for all the work UN had done since its inception. While UN continued its focus on environment and health agenda, weakness in its ability to stop major wars, got compounded.
This legacy took its toll. In 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, and UN could not do much, owing to Russian veto in the security council. In 2025, UN recognized genocide in Gaza, but again seems powerless to stop it further. Any discussions or negotiations are falling outside its own preview. The current 2026 conflict, will also be another thorn in UN’s crown, it will have to deal with.
On its 70th Anniversary UN issued a series of stamps, showcasing the agency’s interiors. This was a 1952 building, that was renovated and refurbished in 2004. We live with the hope that imposing interiors would also translate into ability of the organization to impose its collective will towards peace.
War is a disease, that impacts humans as well as infrastructure. It is also contagious, as human greed and ambition spreads rapidly across regions. Peace is a state of health, and maybe we will include it in its definition one day.