George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher and poet, once said, ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ In essence, history provides lessons that can not only shape the future but also inspire posterity. These sentiments are echoed by Theodore Roosevelt, a former US President, who remarked, ‘The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.’
The founding of the United Nations Organisation, commonly known as the UN, was rooted in the events that led to the First World War in 1914. The League of Nations was established in 1920 with the primary objective of preventing another war, drawing on the lessons of the previous conflict. Woodrow Wilson, the architect of the 14 Points, had warned that if past lessons were not heeded, another war would follow. Indeed, in 1939, another war erupted, bringing untold suffering and loss of life. Pledging in its charter to prevent another scourge of war, the UN was born on October 24, 1945.
The UN’s primary objective is to prevent another war. Article 2(4) of the Charter prohibits the use or threat of force against the territorial integrity of any member state. The Security Council, under Chapter VII of the Charter, is vested with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, emphasising that an attack on one is an attack on all.
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To enforce its will, the Council may authorise the use of force, including military intervention, to restore peace. It also provides the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a legal forum for nations to settle disputes. However, the UN faces significant challenges in achieving its objectives, including a lack of consensus on what constitutes a threat and appropriate remedial measures, as well as the complexities of the veto system, which hinder its enforcement mechanisms.
Practical challenges
Numerous events highlight the practical challenges faced by the UN. For instance, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, justified on the pretext that the country harboured weapons of mass destruction, was not only an attack on a sovereign UN member state but also led to the toppling of its leadership based on what was later revealed to be false and fabricated intelligence. This action appeared to contravene Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
More recently, war has erupted in the Middle East following an unprovoked attack by Israel on the sovereign state of Iran. As with Iraq, the justification centres on claims of Iran possessing deadly weapons within weeks, contrary to US intelligence reports suggesting Iran is years away from developing nuclear capabilities. There is no debate over whether Israel acted without UN authorisation. The Israeli Ambassador to the UN explicitly stated that they acted alone, despite subsequent attacks by the US, which also lacked collective consent. The issue here is not whether Iran is innocent or guilty but rather the UN’s role in fulfilling its obligations.
Calls for reforms
Over the years, there have been repeated calls for UN reform, addressing outdated representation, the permanent membership and veto power of certain nations, resource allocation, transparency, and other issues that create grounds for inaction. Without reform, the organisation risks meeting the same fate as the League of Nations, paving the way for another devastating war, precisely what it was established to prevent.
While the call for UN reform remains urgent and relevant, it also presents an opportunity for Africa to reassess its position and consider unity—or, if that term has been overused and abused, a single voice on global affairs. In the current UN setup, it is difficult to justify over 50 African nations flying their flags in New York for so many years without achieving meaningful collective influence.
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1963 may have been a missed opportunity when Ghana’s founding president, Kwame Nkrumah, called for Africa to ‘Unite now or perish’ and was largely ignored. Amid the chaos of global affairs and the UN’s ineffectiveness, alongside the ongoing calls for reform, the time may now be ripe to reconsider Nkrumah’s vision. True unity for the continent would not only realise the long-held dream of Pan-Africanism but also enable Africa to reach its full potential and prevent its marginalisation when international decisions affecting its vital interests are made.
Let me conclude with a quotation from Tanzania’s founding leader, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who spoke in Accra in 1996 during Ghana’s 40th Independence Anniversary: ‘Unity will make it difficult for Africa and African peoples to be disregarded and humiliated. It will increase the effectiveness of the decisions we make and our efforts to implement development.’
It is time for Africa to seize the moment and rise to the occasion. This demands leadership from a new generation of African leaders.
Allen C. Kasamala is an Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and a pan-Africanist. He’s available at allenkasamala@gmail.com. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please get in touch with our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
