英语论文网

ts level of independence. Mongolia was accused of not being a fully independent or sovereign state. According to Liang’s interpretation, when Mongolia’s application was first considered in 1946, many representatives opposed admission because sufficient evidence was not available to prove that Mongolia was independent. They also said that since Mongolia only had relations with one other country – the Soviet Union – she was “not ready to take her place as a member of the world community” [4] . Other scholars, including Rupen (1959) disagree with Liang’s interpretation. He believes that it was well-known within the Security Council that Mongolia was administratively independent, but its position between the Soviet Union and China gave it special political importance during the Cold War. Rupen, writing in the midst of the admissions conflict, stated that “Mongols do run their own internal affairs and retain a strong feeling of independence [5] ”. However, he goes on to explain that Mongolia was obligated to follow the lead of the Soviet Union in terms of foreign policy and economics. As a strong Soviet satellite, Mongolia’s attempts to join the UN were suspect, and not supported by the Western powers, particularly the United States.

These arguments illuminate some of the key ways in which the United Nations, particularly the fight over the admission of new members, was affected by the Cold War stalemate seen in many areas of the world. The use of the Soviet veto, the desire of each side to prevent admission of states in the opposite bloc, the proposal of package deal solutions, the refusal of the West to admit a Soviet satellite, the reasons behind Chinese refusals to admit Mongolia, and ultimately, the reason China was forced to change its mind are all evidence of Cold War politics being played out in the United Nations admissions process.

The United Nations

The creation of the United Nations came out of an idea that began with the Concert of Europe. Namely, the idea was that independent nations could meet with each other and discuss their differences, rather than involving themselves in constant military conflicts. By working together, it was believed that they could avoid these types of conflicts. Additionally, there was an understanding that the great powers had a responsibility to regulate international politics. Unfortunately, due to differences between Britain and Austria in the 1820s, the Concert of Europe fell apart. The great powers continued to have international meetings and conferences to discuss their differences, such as the Berlin conference of 1884, which divided Africa among the colonizing nations, but the atmosphere in Europe was relatively tense. Each state attempted to maintain the balance of power, but this system fell apart during World War I. After the war, fearing another great conflict, the League of Nations was formed by many of the Great Powers. To the Concert of Europe system was added the notion of collective security. In a collective security arrangement, the members agree that a threat to one member is a threat to the entire group. In order for such an arrangement to work, every member must be willing to come to the aid of a state in trouble and fight against aggressor nations. The League of Nations was intended to be a collective security agreement, but it had some obvious failures. For example, its relative lack of power rendered it unable to stop Japanese aggres