The United Nations in the Beginning

About the Book

To understand how a political institution evolves it is necessary to examine it from its very beginning. This is a casebook about conflict episodes during the early years of the United Nations. The stories of these early conflicts among the founding states reveal how debates, decisions, and precedents occurred in an emergent institution and how these conflicts became identifiable processes advancing the integration of the United Nations. The analysis of the cases is guided by the historical procedure of colligation. Selected behavioral concepts—socialization, formalization, and investiture—are the process concepts applied to these case studies. They provide a valid way of determining the trends that enable an institution to become integrated. They also provide evidence as to which conflict process is likely to promote nonviolent integration. The case studies also have instructional uses, particularly detachment from the partisanship that may intrude upon more recent cases. The arrangement of cases is straightforward. Part I presents a brief statement of the conflict process concepts and strategic thinking. This is followed by an historical introduction to international political integration. Parts II, III, and IV present case studies that illustrate how the three conflict processes—socialization, formalization, and investiture—provide evidence for the analysis of conflict episodes and trends. Appendix A consists of cases intended to serve as analytical exercises to be performed by students. Appendix B is the United Nations Charter. *** The conflict processes described in this book focus on institutional members, institutional positions, and the institutional incumbencies of particular members in particular positions. Regardless of the outcome of the substantive issue, a conflict's concluding events will almost invariably have side-effect consequences for institutional structure. The role behaviors of certain of its members may change. The tasks expected of certain of its positions may be altered. The conditions of incumbency of certain persons in particular positions may be modified. A structural outcome is the agreed-upon modification of role behaviors, task expectations, or incumbencies. These outcomes relate to the structure of the institution as follows: the socialization process describes the cumulation of changes in the role behavior of particular persons; the formalization process reflects the changes in the task expectations assigned to a particular position, and the investiture process relates to the circumstances bearing upon particular incumbencies. As these conflict processes produce changes in the structure of an institution, they also are likely to have consequences for the institution's integration, that is, its decision-making process. Integration is defined as a sequence of events whereby two or more actors form a new actor. The integration process includes judgments about recognition of the actors, the capabilities of the actors, and, in particular, changes in the decision rules under which old and new actors operate. To the extent that the outcomes of each of the three conflict processes affect recognition, capability, and decision rules, these outcomes have a direct bearing upon the degree of integration of the institution. The practical value of conflict process theory is that it provides insights into the best strategies for achieving nonviolent integration. *** If the conflict relates, directly or indirectly, to the role behavior of particular members of the institution, the process is a socialization process. A role behavior is an observable, repeated pattern of conduct performed by a person who believes that this pattern is appropriate for the institutional position in which he or she is incumbent. Each institutional role is only one of many that make up a person's role-structure, or personality. Role behaviors outside the institution may overlap or conflict with institutional ones. Disputes

About the Author

RALPH M. GOLDMAN es Doctor en Ciencias Políticas por la Universidad de Chicago. Durante su carrera profesional ha estado vinculado a la enseñanza, la investigación, la administración académica y el ejercicio político. Su biografía completa se encuentra en la Who’s Who in America. Es autor y co-autor de más de una docena de libros. En su estudio “De la Guerra a la Política Partidaria” (From Warfare to Party Politics, Syracuse University Press) se interesó en la relación entre los presidentes mexicanos Plutarco Calles y Lázaro Cárdenas. Esta novela dramatiza este vínculo y su trágica conclusión.