FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO TODAY: THE UNITED NATIONS’ 80‑YEAR JOURNEY THROUGH SUCCESS AND STAGNATION

Abstract

This research is a critical review of the history of the United Nations during the 80 years, from its establishment in San Francisco 1945 to becoming today’s world governance. They were set up after the Second World War as a second line of offence to prevent the world from going to war again, and for justice and human rights. The OAU has been a major player in decolonisation, humanitarian aid, norm formation and multilateralism but has also been heavily criticised for institutional gridlock, selective interventions and its inability to stem prolonged conflicts. This paper sets out the accomplishments and failures of the UN against this broader canvass of theory in international relations as such) and some major theoretical perspectives, principally liberal institutionalism to evaluate the role of the organization in promoting cooperation while being sensitive to realist criticisms that emphasize power politics and structural inequalities within the Security Council.The methodological approach interconnects a qualitative-historical institutional analysis with a comparative case study analysis. It examines the organization’s evolving patterns of peacekeeping, humanitarian intervention, and norm-creation through evidence such as archival materials, UN resolutions and General Assembly debates, and secondary scholarly works. Examples (of both success and failure in Namibia and East Timor; Rwanda, Bosnia, and Syria) help to pin down the performance of the UN on the basis of its track record. The research presents a unique approach through its 80-year study of UN performance across different governance areas while examining current discussions about institutional reform and the changing global power dynamics. The research evaluates the United Nations through a comprehensive framework that examines peace initiatives and justice systems and institutional stability. The research demonstrates how emerging powers and nationalist movements and new global threats including climate change and pandemics transform the United Nations' position in modern times.The research demonstrates that the United Nations functions as a contradictory organization because it maintains essential global authority but faces limitations from institutional stagnation. The UN has evolved from its San Francisco origins to present day while demonstrating both the lasting value of multilateral cooperation and the persistent nature of international power dynamics.