United!?
Today I talked to my friend Lucy since I just finished a big retouching job for her. I sometimes supplement my income with that kind of work.
Lucy always has great suggestions about where to go with my photography and/or where to go with my blog. Today she suggested getting more involved, to express my opinions about what is going on in the world and to be more political. That is something I have avoided so far. Having an open mind does not mean to have no opinions, I have lots of opinions. But they are sometimes quite different to common belief; this is why I am wondering if it would be a good idea to express them on the World Wide Web.
On the other hand it would be fun since I like to rock the boat. I just wonder in how much trouble the rocking would get me even though I tend to enjoy trouble quite a bit these days. I have to think about it. Lucy told me about all these Tibetans being on the street in the freezing cold shouting “Free Tibet” slogans. That sounded like a good image for the blog but when I finally had done enough work on my taxes for the day and made myself on the way to the city it was already too late. I walked around but could not find one Tibetan. I decided to walk over to the United Nations.
That building always mesmerized me. Not because of its beauty but because what it stands for and what is happening inside of it.
What is the United Nations and what is its main objective?
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization. It was started after World War II with the idea of making a stronger version of the League of Nations, which was supposed to stop wars from happening. Most nations are members of the UN, and send people to the headquarters to hold meetings and pass resolutions (make decisions) about global issues. (Wikipedia)
But does it work? Does the “United Nations” unite the nations of the world and does it stop them from going to war?
I found a list of wars that happened after they were founded in 1945:
Afghanistan
Civil War, 1979-2002
Al-Qaeda War, 2001-
Albania
Communist Regime, 1948-89
Civil War, 1997
Algeria
War of Independence, 1954-62
Fundamentalist Moslem uprising, 1992 ET seq.
Angola
War of Independence, 1961-75
Civil War, 1975-94
Argentina
Overthrow of Peron, 1955
Falkland War, 1982
Armenia
Nagorno-Karabakh, 1991 et seq.
Australia
Korean War, 1950-53
Vietnam War, 1965-72
Azerbaijan
1991 et seq.
Bangladesh
1971 massacres
Chittagong, 1975 et. seq.
Belgium
Korean War, 1950-53
Congo Crisis, 1960-67
Bolivia
Civil War, 1952
Junta, 1971-78
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1992-95
Brazil
Indians, 1900-1985
Military Regime, 1964-85
Rightist terrorism, 1980
Death Squads, 1985-91
Yanomami Indians, 1987-91
Bulgaria
Communist Regime, 1948-89
Burma
Rebellions, 1948 et seq.
Unrest, 1988
Burundi, 1959-95
Cambodia
Civil War, 1965-75
Pol Pot, r. 1975-78
Civil War, 1978-91
Cameroon, 1960s
Canada
Korean War, 1950-53
Central African Republic/Empire
Bokassa Regime, 1965-79
Kongo-Wara War, 1927-31
Chad
Civil War, 1965 et seq.
Habré regime, 1982-90
Chechnya, 1994 et seq.
Chile, 1973-90
China
Wars with Tibet, 1950 et. seq
Korean War, 1950-53
Sino-Indian War, 1962
Sino-Soviet War, 1963-69
Sino-Vietnamese War, 1979
Tienamen Square, 1989
Colombia
La Violencia, 1946-58
Korean War, 1951-53
Insurgencies, 1973-
North Congo (SKA "French Congo", "Congo-Brazzaville", "People's
Republic of the C.")
Coup, 1997
South Congo (SKA "Belgian Congo", "Zaire", "Congo-Kinshasa",
"Democratic Republic of the C.")
Congo Crisis, 1960-64
Stanleyville Revolt, 1964-65
Mercenary Uprising, 1967-68
Uprisings and Repression, 1970s
Conflicts, 1992-94
Overthrow of Mobutu, 1997
Civil War, 1998-
Costa Rica
Civil War, 1948
War with Nicaragua, 1955
Croatia, 1991-92
Cuba
Batista Regime & Civil War, 1952-59
Angola, 1975-95
Grenada, 1983
Cyprus
1955-59
1963-67
1974
Czechoslovakia
Post-WW2 expulsions of Germans, 1945-47
1968 uprising
Dominican Republic
1965 coup
East Timor, 1975 et seq.
Ecuador
War with Peru, 1995-97
Egypt
Arab-Israeli Wars, 1947-73
Yemen, 1962-69
El Salvador
Football War, 1969
Civil War, 1979-91
Equatorial Guinea, 1969-79
Eritrea
War of Independence, 1962-92
War with Ethiopia, 1998-
Ethiopia
Korean War, 1951-53
Civil Wars, 1962-92
War with Eritrea, 1998-
France
Algeria, 1954-62
Chad, 1982-
Indochina War of Independence, 1945-54
Korean War, 1951-53
Lebanon 1983
Madagascar, 1947
Morocco 1953-56
Tunisia 1952-54 1961
Gambia, 1981
Georgia, 1992-93
Ghana, 1981-93
Greece
Civil War, 1943-49
Korean War, 1951-53
Grenada, 1983
Guatemala
Civil War, 1960-1996
Guinea
Toure, 1969-76
Civil War, 2000-
Guinea-Bissau, 1962-74
Haiti
Duvalier regime, 1957-86
1991-94
Honduras
War with Nicaragua, 1957
Football War, 1969
Death Squads, 1980-88
Hungary
1956 Uprising
India
Partition Violence, 1947
Hyderabad, 1948
Sino-Indian War, 1962
Naxalites, 1968-
Bangladeshi War of Independence, 1971
Assam, 1978-
Sikh uprising, 1984-91
Kashmir
Indo-Pakistani War, 1965
Civil War, 1989 et seq.
Indonesia
War of Independence, 1945-46
Civil Wars, 1950s
War with Malaysia, 1962
Irian, 1962-
Coup and Massacres, 1965-67
East Timor, 1975-99
Aceh, 1989
Jakarta, 1998
Moluccas, 1999-
Iran
Soviet occupation, 1945-47
Pahlevi Regime, 1953-79
Overthrow of the Shah
Kurdistan
Iran-Iraq War, 1980-88
Iraq
Kurds 1933, 1961-70, 1980s
Coups, 1959-66
Iran-Iraq War, 1980-88
Gulf War, 1990-91
Shia Rebellion, 1991-93
Bombing, 1998
Ireland
Northern Ireland, 1974-98
Israel
British Palestine, 1945-48
Arab-Israeli Wars, 1948-
Palestinians
Lebanon, 1982 et seq.
Jamaica, 1980
Jordan
Arab-Israeli Wars, 1947-73
Uprising, 1970-1
Kashmir
Indo-Pakistani War, 1965
Civil War, 1989 et seq.
Kenya
Mau-Mau, 1952-56
Border Conflict, 1963
Ethnic Clash, 1992
South Korea
Coup, 1948
Vietnam War, 1965-73
Demonstrations, 1980
Korean War, 1950-53
North Korea, 1948 et seq.
Kosovo, 1998-99
Laos
French Indochina, 1945-54
Vietnam War, 1963-73
Post-War, 1975-87
Lebanon
Civil War, 1958
Chaos, 1975-1992
Liberia, 1989-93
Libya
Chad, 1982-
Uganda, 1978-79
Madagascar, revolt, 1947
Malawi, 1964-94
Malaysia
Emergency, 1948-60
War with Indonesia, 1962
Mauritania
Western Sahara, 1975-78
Moldova, 1991-97
Morocco
Independence, 1953-56
Western Sahara, 1975-78
Mozambique
Independence, 1961-75
Civil War, 1975-93
Nepal, 1996-
Netherlands
Dutch East Indies, 1945-46
Irian, 1962
New Guinea
Irian Jaya, 1962-
Nicaragua
War with Costa Rica, 1955
War with Honduras, 1957
Civil Wars, 1972-91
Nigeria
Biafra, 1967-70
Moslem uprising, 1980-84
Internal Conflicts, 1990s
Northern Ireland, 1974-98
Pakistan
Partition Violence, 1947
Indo-Pakistani War, 1965
Baluchi/Pathan separatists, 1973-77
Bengali massacres, 1971
Sindh War, 1990s
Palestinians
Israel, 1947-
Jordan, 1970-1
Lebanon, 1975 et seq.
Panama, 1989
Papua New Guinea, 1989 et seq.
Paraguay
Civil War, 1947
Stroessner, 1954-89
Ache Indians, 1968-74
Coup, 1989
Peru
Uprising, 1965-66
Shining Path, 1980-93
War with Ecuador, 1995-97
Philippines
Huk Rebellion, 1946-54
Korean War, 1950-53
Vietnam War, 1965-73
Rebellions, 1972-92
Pol Pot, r.1975-78
Poland
Post-WW2 expulsions of Germans, 1945-47
Portugal
Angola, 1961-75
Mozambique, 1961-75
Guinea-Bissau, 1962-74
Rhodesia, 1972-79
Romania
Uprising, 1989
Russia
Chechnya, 1994 et seq.
Rwanda
1959-95
1990
Saudi Arabia
Yemen, 1962-69
Senegal, 1982-
Sierra Leone, 1991-
Somalia
Ogaden War, 1962-92
Conflict with Kenya, 1963
Barre regime, 1971-90
Chaos, 1992 et seq.
South Africa
Namibia, 1975-90
Angola, 1975-95
Spain
Basques, 1961 et seq.
Sri Lanka
1971 Rebellion
1977-95 War
Sudan
Civil War, 1955-72
Civil War, 1983 et seq.
Syria
Arab-Israeli Wars, 1947-73
Lebanon, 1976
Taiwan
1947
1954-55
Tajikstan, 1992-96
Tanzania
Uganda, 1978-79
Thailand
Korean War, 1950-53
Vietnam War, 1965-73
Tibet
Chinese Occupation, 1950 et. seq
Timor, East, 1975 et seq.
Tunisia
War of Independence 1952-1956
1961
Turkey
Kurdistan 1980s, 1990s
Korean War, 1950-53
Cyprus, 1974
Uganda
Civil War, 1966
Civil War, 1979-87
Civil War, 1987-
USSR
Occupation of Iran, 1945-47
Hungarian Uprising, 1956
Sino-Soviet War, 1963-69
Afghanistan, 1979-95
United Kingdom
Dutch East Indies, 1945-46
Palestine, 1945-48
Malaya, 1948-60
Korean War, 1950-53
Mau-Mau uprising, 1952-56
Suez, 1954
Cyprus, 1955-59
Malaysia, 1962
Aden, 1963-67
Northern Ireland, 1969-
Falkland War, 1982
United States
Korean War, 1950-53
Dominican Republic, 1965
Vietnam War, 1965-73
Lebanon, 1983
Grenada, 1983
Panama, 1989
Gulf War, 1990-91
Kosovo, 1998
Al-Qaeda War, 2001-
Vietnam
Indochina War, 1945-54
North Vietnam, 1954-75
Vietnam War, 1965-75
Post-War, 1975-87
Laos, 1975-87
Cambodia Civil War, 1978-91
Sino-Vietnamese War, 1979
Western Sahara
Morocco vs. Polisario Front, 1975-78
North Yemen (s.k.a. "Kingdom of Yemen", "Yemen Arab Republic")
Civil War, 1948
Civil War, 1962-69
South Yemen (s.k.a. "Aden", "Federation of South Arabia", "People's
Republic of Southern Yemen")
British intervention, 1963-67
Civil War, 1986
Zambia, 1964
Zanzibar, 1964
Zimbabwe
Rhodesian Civil War, 1972-79
“United!?” Manhattan/New York City/ The United Nations Building 03-21-08 at 05:57 PM
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