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FIND OUT MORE. Cold War 435 • Industrial Revolution 418–419 • International Organizations 434 • Satellites 28

Society and Beliefs^315

The government of every country needs a security system

to protect its citizens. Governments must have the resources to

defend the country from attack, and gather good information

to warn against future attacks. Under the new world order, the

need for global security requires nations to work together.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE UNITED NATIONS?

The major goals of the United Nations are defined in

its charter. The first is to recognize each nation’s

sovereignty, or the right to govern itself. The second

is to encourage a policy of non-intervention in each

other’s affairs. The UN also seeks to prevent conflict

by providing a forum for co-operation.

CAN THE COMMUNITY HELP THE WEAK?

The international community aims to maintain global

peace, which is vital for social progress. It also

provides aid for countries facing great difficulty –

for example, those devastated by famine, debt, or

war. Aid might come in the form of food or medical

packages, or a deal to cut a nation’s debt to another.

IS SECURITY NEEDED IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER?

After the Cold War, many nations hoped to cut

military spending and put the money into social

projects, such as poverty relief, instead. However, the

new world order created new tensions and pockets of

resistance across the globe, and defence spending

started to grow again in 1995.

Representatives of the world’s 193 countries meet and talk in

different forums, such as the United Nations (UN) and the World

Bank. These countries make up a community of nations, which

can act together to deal with global problems.

WHAT DOES SECURITY COST?

The cost of protecting the world by military and

other means is enormous. Military spending around

the world is roughly $1,200,000,000,000 (1.2 trillion)

per year, or about 2.4 per cent of the global economy.

US spending makes up a third of the global total.

SECURITY

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
2 UN PEACEKEEPERS
The United Nations Security
Council can ask member nations
to send troops to war zones to
keep the peace. UN soldiers do
not normally fight, but they
do try to keep enemies apart.

MILITARY SATELLITE 3

This spy satellite is used to detect missile

launches and nuclear explosions. It helps the

USA to find out which countries are testing

or firing nuclear missiles.

Vehicles

painted white

to show they

belong to

UN forces

National

badge

shows a

soldier’s

home

nation

Soldiers in UN

forces wear

blue helmets

UN flag’s olive

branches symbolize

global peace

Solar panels

generate power

from the Sun

Infrared sensor

detects heat sources

from space

new world

order