The United Nations and the Russian-Ukrainian War

Whatever was left of the good feelings resulting from the end of the Cold War came crashing down with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Intense fighting, uncompromising rhetoric, and even threats of nuclear war have been the characteristics of this conflict, which can potentially escalate to World War III. This chapter provides an overview of UN efforts to prevent and/or stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine and/or help de-escalate the violence and find a peaceful solution. With the war still raging as of January 2023, when this chapter is being finalized, the findings about the inability of the UN to prevent such a major and largely foreseen conflict are concerning, particularly the failure of the UN Security Council to deal with a conflict that involves one of its five permanent members as an aggressor. While robust political responses from the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have partly compensated for this, the UN Secretary-General, the top-most official associated with global peacemaking, has been unable or unwilling to engage beyond statements of principle and humanitarian support. All this bodes poorly for the UN and, more importantly, the world, which faces increasing geopolitical rivalries among significant powers that undermine efforts to achieve global goals for peace and sustainable development.