International Organizations at Risk

International organizations such as the United Nations (UN) fulfill the dream of Immanuel Kant, who, as early as the 18th century, asserted that peace among peoples would only be possible and sustainable if nations came to agree on institutions that transcend the sovereignty of individual states. These international organizations have not only helped avoid some conflicts, they have also limited the possession of war materiel, nuclear weapons, in particular. They have provided for improved health care, better nutrition, greater distribution of wealth, trade agreements, exchanges of all kinds between cultures and nations that can foster conciliation between peoples, coordination of telecommunications and air traffic. In 1948, with the Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations also completely repudiated inhumane behavior, such as torture and other practices contrary to human dignity, which was clearly regarded from the beginning as indispensable. The creation of an International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998 in Rome, headquartered in The Hague, with the task of trying those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, fittingly complemented these institutions, although only 124 states out of the 193 UN member states that had endorsed it have ratified the Rome Statute.