Thoroughly rewritten and revised, this new edition provides nearly 6,000 A-Z entries that shed light on this complex institution. In addition to articles explaining essential concepts and philosophies, readers will find an all-new set of entries on peace-keeping activities, along with full coverage of every international treaty since the founding of the League of Nations, with generous quotations or full text for all key treaties, conventions, pacts, protocols, and declarations. Extensive cross-referencing and a thorough analytical index help users to navigate the many acronyms and multiple names of documents and organizations.

Endorsed with a foreword by current U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, this is the most comprehensive, detailed reference to the U.N. ever published.