World War II permanently altered global politics. After this war, certain nations become superpowers, and these superpowers continue to influence modern politics. One of the first actions taken by these superpowers was the establishment of the United Nations, whose proclaimed goal is to maintain world peace. The United States is one of the most prominent members of the United Nations, which is marked departure from its previous isolationist stance. The United Nations seeks to prevent the outbreak of major war and enforce international human rights. However, despite the United Nations’ purported focus on peace, the most prominent United Nations members also have weapons of mass destruction, such as the atomic bomb. Given this paradox, the United Nations’ influence on politics is problematic, as this international governing body asserts one belief yet practices another.
In the past, the United States had favored an isolationist approach, but the attack on Pearl Harbor, which marked the United States’ official entry into World War II, irreparably changed the nation’s attitude towards international involvement. Pearl Harbor also directly influenced the formation of the United Nations: “[Roosevelt] put forward a positive agenda of international cooperation as values for which Americans should be prepared to stand up for. After Pearl Harbor, they were formalized in the Declaration by United Nations” (Plesch 11). The end of World War II resulted in the permanent establishment of the United Nations, which was formed by the victorious Allies. Immediately after its establishment, the United Nations began to influence and change the scope of global politics.
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The United Nations asserts that its purpose is to prevent world wars and enforce international human rights. This assembly attempts to govern the world’s affairs: “Indeed, the raft of regimes and international institutions associated with the United Nations system…might be said to constitute something of an incipient international regulatory system” (Lipschutz 164). The United Nations established a broad range of legislation intended to protect human rights, and it “sets in place norms and rules that are meant to apply everywhere” (Lipschutz 164). Since the United Nations effectively replaced the League of Nations, which “failed to stop Hitler and the Japanese” (Plesch 2), its involvement in international affairs is pervasive. One of the most recent political examples of this is George W. Bush’s bold statement that Iran, Iraq and North Korea form an “Axis of Evil” comparable “to Hitler and his Axis Allies” (Plesch 12).
Ironically, the nations that form the backbone of the United Nations also have the world’s deadliest weapons at their disposal. The United States was responsible for creating the first atomic bomb, which some countries mistakenly viewed as “just another weapon” that was simply “more destructive and therefore potentially more decisive than its predecessors” (Chickering, F?rster & Greiner 132). However, once the United States attacked Japan, ideas about these weapons of mass destruction changed dramatically: “After Hiroshima, to borrow from Yeats, concepts of power and strategy were changed utterly” (Chickering, F?rster & Greiner 132). This is extremely problematic, as the United Nations essentially asserts one belief while practicing another.
One of the most significant effects of World War II was the establishment of the United Nations, which claims to protect international human rights and promote world peace. One of the most prominent members of the United Nations is the United States, which is ironic given the country’s attitude towards international involvement a century ago. After World War II, the United Nations established a series of rules and regulations in an attempt to govern the world’s affairs, and this assembly continues to influence modern politics. However, this influence is ironic, given that the most prominent members of the United Nations also possess deadly weapons that are capable of instantaneously killing millions of people. Given this questionable situation, the United Nations’ true influence on global politics may ultimately be deleterious, not beneficial.
- Chickering, Roger, Stig F?rester and Bernd Greiner. A World at Total War: Global Conflict and the Politics of Destruction, 1937-1945. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
- Lipschutz, Ronnie D. After Authority: War, Peace, and Global Politics in the 21st Century. Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 2000.
- Plesch, Dan. America, Hitler and the UN: How the Allies Won World War II and Forged Peace. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
