ABSTRACT
The evolution of multilateral diplomacy and organization is closely linked to the evolution of the nation-state system, which can be traced back to the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. However, the Cold War had a stultifying effect on multilateral diplomacy, which was often forced into a political and ideological straitjacket, writes former Jamaican UN Ambassador Don Mills. Ambassador Sergey Lavrov describes some of the mechanisms of collective decisionmaking in the Security Council. Ambassador Amer Araim recounts his experience while a member of the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations with the attempt of the US Ambassador to have him withdraw a resolution on Puerto Rico and his opposition to US policy on Iraq and Palestine. Ambassador Sergey Lavrov states later in this chapter that there is agreement on the need for reforming the United Nations to meet the challenges of the new millennium, but not on the specific reforms needed.
