ABSTRACT
In this chapter, students will learn about the principal organs of the United Nations and their role in maintaining international peace and security, the world body’s primary mandate. It provides an overview of the UN system as well as a short history of its contributions to security studies. It also addresses key threats confronting the globe in the twenty-first century – such as terrorism, mass atrocities and weapons of mass destruction – and assesses the UN’s capacity to meet these security challenges.
