The Same Old Song and Dance

1) This document presents the standing charter of the United Nations, which has been amended four times (in Articles 23, 27, 61, and 109) since its creation in June 1945. It was created in June and was put into force in October of the same year. Note that all amendments to the charter took 2-3 years to be put into force. Evidently, the United Nations felt that there was some urgency to the enforcement of their charter. Articles 23, 27, and 61 were changed to enlarged both the memberships of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council considerably (the first changing from 7 to 9, and the latter changing from 18 to 54). Article 109 was changed to compensate for these increases in the democratic choosing of a date to review the charter (to a 2/3 majority and the vote of 9 members instead of 7 on the Security Council). However, a reference to a 7 member vote was not removed in a later part of the article.
The purpose of the charter is to maintain peaceful and respectful relations between countries, to ally and unite UN members with the common goal of justice, and suppress violence when it arises in a peaceful manner if it is at all possible. The charter requests that member of the UN be given priority over the UN's enemies and that members resist the urge to assist others whose goals differ from those stated in the charter.
Within the articles, it is stated that there will be 6 permanent members (China, France, USSR, UK, Northern Ireland, and the U.S.) of the security council of 15 total. The remaining spots for members will be elected for two-year terms.

2) The charter seems bent on trying to prevent war or aggression in any shape or form, as well as anything that might provoke it. In the preamble, they specifically cite WWI and WWII, which they refer to as "the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind." The charter also seems to promote the ideal society in which all members truly are equal and the more powerful and technologically advanced countries help the poorer ones.

3) Problems:

• While the charter may believe that in the ideal world there should be perfect equality, it does not desire it enough to give all member countries the same opportunity for a place on the Security council. Of the only 15 spots available, 6 are automatically given to six countries, while the rest are given to elected officials. Somehow this is not concurrent with the goals that were previously stated giving "equal rights [to].... countries large and small." The number of available seats is limited enough without giving 6 to the same countries annually.
  
• Part 6 of Article 2 states that the UN will strive to make sure that all other countries act as follows the goals of the charter. Though there goals seem to be sound, it does not seem entirely right that countries that have made no agreement to follow these rules will be judged by them nonetheless.