by Eli Kenin
With the United Nations’ marking the organization’s 80th anniversary, Eli Kenin has written an important article: “The UN at 80: When Juvenile Idealism Meets Civilizational Conflict.”
Eighty years after the UN Charter, the basis for today’s rules-based international system, was signed with great idealism following two world wars, the United Nations allows Iran to threaten Israel with genocide while repeatedly condemning Israel for defending itself. Yet hope exists beyond the world organization that constantly weaponizes international law against the Jewish state.
During the recent conflict, Benyamin Netanyahu reached out to Iranians, reminding them of millennia of peaceful coexistence between these ancient peoples. Both nations have young, educated populations, and most Iranians are disillusioned with their regime. Peace will be forged as always—by peoples themselves. Meanwhile, the United Nations, without radical reform, risks its eventual demise like an ancient civilization succumbing to internal contradictions.
This 2,400-word article covers the shared history of Iran and Israel, the founding of the United Nations, why the Charter is outdated and ill-suited to address 21st-century warfare—non-state terror, asymmetric tactics, proxy wars—; and systematic antisemitism within the UN.
We believe this timely analysis will resonate with our readers interested in international law.
The author is an independent writer, researcher and translator living in Jerusalem
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