The Security Council has primary responsibility for international peace-keeping. A United Nations peace-keeping force can be formed to enter a conflict only with the consent of nine of the fifteen members of the Council, including all five permanent nations. However, perhaps a true evaluation of how well the U.N. has done in maintaining peace since 1945 is by noting the numerous successes which it has had when nations have been about to engage in war. The United Nations provides a forum for countries to concurrently debate their cases and seek an alternative to war. Model United Nations are experiences in which students take on the roles of representing various nations in the U.N. and engaging in debate and voting about the issues.
Students can learn a considerable amount about global awareness.
They come to see that there are scores of interests which nations have in the world, and they do not necessarily match the positions of the United States. Studentscan learn a great deal about conflict resolution. Students can learn to take on the roles of delegates from different countries. Students can learn to discuss an issue in a fashion in which there are rules of procedure governing when, how, and under what conditions they may speak. Students can learn to work with others in building coalitions and acting in the form of bloc politics.