Preface
Reviewing the contents of this volume， prepared during the spring and
summer of 1991， the editors find vivid evidence that this has been an
extraordinary year--for the world and for the world organization.
For more than half a year， the world s attention was focused on the
tiny nation of Kuwait and on a drama of war and diplomacy unlike any
we have seen before. Never had the U.N. Security Council--passing 12
resolutions in response to aggression and three more subsequent to a
cease-fire--played such a major and visible role in resolving international
conflict. And while we do not ignore the debate about the U.S. role
within the Council， few doubt the ground-breaking nature of the Coun-
cil s actions during the crisis， actions that are likely to redefine U.N.
peacekeeping.
But the United Nations role in the Gulf war was by no means
confined to peace and security issues. Since the very start of hostilities in
August 1990---and to a far greater degree following the defeat of Iraq--
nearly every organ of the vast U.N. system has been called upon to lend
assistance in the region， whether for the enormous humanitarian relief
dfort (WHO， UNDP， UNICEF， UNDRO， UNHCR)， the restabiliza-
tion of the environment (UNEP)， or the monitoring of Iraq s demilitari-
zation (IAEA).
Nor has the Gulf been the only theater of turmoil. Old wars and
new continue to plague the community of nations， and ethnic and
factional conflicts are tearing at nations as disparate as El Salvador，
Ethiopia， Indonesia， and India. Increasingly， U N. member states are
looking to the world body to take an active role in the resolution of
~stensibly \"internal\" matters， expanding the United Nations traditional
mandate in ways that U.N. observers view with both hope and concern.
Will the Organizztion be given the power and resources to undertake
such challenges; will it successfully navigate the treacherous waters of
national sovereignty; or will it be led to overreach itself and， in so doing，
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