The International Library of Politics and Comparative Government is an essential reference series which compiles the most significant journal articles in comparative politics over the past 30 years. It makes readily accessible to teachers, researchers and students, an extensive range of essays which, together, provide an indispensable basis for understanding both the established conceptual terrain and the new ground being broken in the rapidly changing field of comparative political analysis. These two volumes include articles which examine the system, the structure, the function and the future of the United Nations.

This guide to the workings of the United Nations details the purposes and structure of the organization, with specific chapters on peace and security, disarmament and human rights. In the final chapter, the problems facing the UN are examined. Tables provide information on the size and distribution of UN membership, peace-keeping operations and the use of the Security Council veto. It also includes the full text of the UN Charter.

This Handbook provides in one volume an authoritative and independent treatment of the UN's seventy-year history, written by an international cast of more than 50 distinguished scholars, analysts, and practitioners. It provides a clear and penetrating examination of the UN's development since 1945 and the challenges and opportunities now facing the organization. It assesses the implications for the UN of rapid changes in the world - from technological innovation to shifting foreign policy priorities - and the UN's future place in a changing multilateral landscape. Citations and additional readings contain a wealth of primary and secondary references to the history, politics, and law of the world organization. This key reference also contains appendices of the UN Charter, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Literature on the UN is as wide-ranging as the organisation's remit; there exists a multitude of books, articles and reports on its various programmes and activities. The very breadth of literature about the organisation can make it hard to navigate and understand. The format of this Major Work is ideally suited to a serious treatment of the United Nations that can clarify and illuminate its structures and role, and make it accessible to scholars and practitioners. The generous eight-volume format, containing the best cross-disciplinary articles from around the world, provides an opportunity to present a comparative and holistic analysis of the organisation. Framed by a contextualising introductory chapter, this major work will allow for the interconnections between the UN's humanitarian, developmental, environmental and peace and security work to be more deeply explored and elaborated upon. Volume 1: Origins and Evolution Volume 2: Machinery Volume 3: Roles and Relationships Volume 4: A UN for the 21st Century Volume 5: Conflict and Crisis Volume 6: Rights, Justice and Protection Volume 7: Poverty and Development Volume 8: Environment and Sustainability