Economist.com | United Nations

Economist.com | United Nations:

"The UN was set up to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war'. It has not been very successful. Countries have repeatedly taken up arms against one another with impunity (as many as 680 times between 1945 and 1989, according to one count). Hundreds more conflicts have taken place within states."

But of course, without the UN there might have been even more wars, or the wars might have been even bloodier!