Planet UN - The United Nations Confronting the Challenges of the 21st Century

Description

Planet UN presents an in-depth analysis of the United Nations involvement in the areas of peace, development and human rights. It offers a unique and uncompromising perspective on the international organization as it confronts the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Serious food and energy shortages, climate change, terrorism, nuclear threats, the collapse of the international financial system... The modern afflictions of the planet threaten the very existence of future generations. Every nation in the world is effected, and even the superpowers have been shaken. Clearly, a concerted effort on a universal scale is called for.

What better forum than the United Nations to begin this essential dialogue? But is the UN capable of adapting and changing? It must be. Because yet another serious challenge is looming. That of the rich and emerging nation-states, which reinforce one another within the framework of G8 and other economic forums, assuming the reins of the entire planet, leaving along the wayside the less well-developed countries, and at the same time marginalizing the sole international arena where their voices can yet be heard: the United Nations.

Planet UN brings together for the very first time in a single volume the testimonies of the last five Secretaries-General of the United Nations: Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Kurt Waldheim, as well as those of Noam Chomsky, Stanley Hoffmann, Lewis Lapham, Samantha Power, Ignacio Ramonet, Stephen Schlesinger, Joseph Stiglitz, James Traub, Ted Turner,...

With a CD-Rom containing one of the most extenisve documentary compiliations ever produced on the United Nations as well as an exclusive interview with James Hoge editor of Foreign Affairs.