Armed conflicts between Nations

The U.N.O. has certainly not been able to stop the outbreak of armed conflicts between nations. A lot of bloodshed and slaughter was caused by the civil war in Vietnam and by the American bombings of Vietnam towns and villages. The situation in the Middle East remained troubled for many years. India and Pakistan fought four wars. But the U.N.O. did contribute significantly towards peace by serving as an agency for the settlement of disputes. It has also made a substantial contribution to the relaxation of tensions between Russia on one hand and the western democracies (the U.S.A., the U.K. and France) on the other. If it has not been able to abolish war, it has at least been able to localize armed conflicts and to prevent their spread. Eighty per cent of the U.N. activities are aimed at peace- building.