United Nations
Identification International organization that
seeks to be a forum for solving disputes of
global or major regional significance
Date Established in 1945
Place Headquartered in New York City
The United Nations is the strongest international organi-
zation dedicated to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and
international cooperation. It does this through both peace-
ful methods and the use of force. During the 1990’s, it
played a key role in the Middle East, the Balkans, and other
regions.
During the 1990’s, the United Nations celebrated its
fiftieth anniversary and grew from 159 to 188 mem-
bers. As the decade opened, there was great opti-
mism that with the end of the Cold War the organiza-
tion could carry out its mission more efficiently. This
was not always the case. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
served as secretary-general from 1982 through 1991.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali served from 1992 through
1996, but a second term was vetoed by the United
States. Kofi Annan served two terms, from 1997
through 2006.
The Gulf War Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2,
1990, brought the United Nations to center stage as,
on the same day, it passed Resolution 660 demand-
ing the removal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. In No-
vember, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolu-
tion 678, which gave Iraq until January 15, 1991, to
comply with Resolution 660. If this was not done, the
Security Council authorized “all necessary means”
to enforce the resolution. On January 17, 1991, Op-
eration Desert Storm was started under U.S. leader-
ship, with the United States supplying about three-
fourths of the military force. On February 24, the
actual full-scale ground campaign started, and the
Iraqi army was quickly routed. Within a few days,
President George H. W. Bush ordered an end to the
military campaign, declaring success.
After the war, to keep Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein in check, no-fly zones were created over
much of Iraq, prohibiting the Iraqi air force from fly-
ing over those areas. While the United States as-
serted that the zones were in line with U.N. Resolu-
tion 688, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
said they were illegal and not supported by any reso-
lution. This was one reason why the United States ve-
toed a second term for him. However, the United
States and the United Nations cooperated in Iraqi
relief programs such as the oil-for-food program.Former Yugoslavia, Haiti, and Somalia A series of
wars took place during the breakup of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. During the early 1990’s,
four of the constituent republics sought indepen-
dence from the federation, which had been domi-
nated by the Serbians. Slovenia, Croatia, and Mace-
donia declared independence in 1991, and Bosnia
and Herzegovina in 1992. In November, 1991, Res-
olution 721 was passed, which authorized U.N.
peacekeeping activities in the region. The peace-
keeping operations continued throughout the
decade, although they changed in scope after the
Dayton Accords peace agreement was signed in
1995.
After this accord was signed, ethnic Albanian
leaders in the Serbian province of Kosovo began to
agitate for independence. During the conflict, two
resolutions were passed by the United Nations re-
garding Kosovo and refugees. In response to the sit-
uation, U.S. forces, as part of a North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) contingent, began bombing
Serbian targets. In June, 1999, a peace agreement
was signed, resulting in Resolution 1244, which es-
tablished a U.N. interim government for the prov-
ince and an ongoing peacekeeping force from
NATO.
In other parts of the world, the United States also
supported U.N. initiatives. In 1994, the United
States prepared to invade Haiti to remove a military
junta. Haitian military repression increased that
year, and the United Nations passed Resolution 940
authorizing the use of “all necessary force” to end it.
Fortunately, U.S. president Bill Clinton sent former
president Jimmy Carter to Haiti, and Carter success-
fully negotiated a peaceful settlement.
Similarly, early in the decade, Somalia was ruled
by a repressive regime. In 1991, part of the country
declared independence, which resulted in a civil
war and numerous political divisions based on the
power of local military leaders. In December, 1992,
the United Nations passed Resolution 794, which
offered humanitarian aid. The aid began in 1993,
with the United States supplying the strongest com-
ponent of soldiers to support the effort. Their pres-
ence was rejected by some local leaders, and in-
tense fighting occurred. After two years, the United882 United Nations The Nineties in America