The U.N. functions as an organization for the conservation of conflict

Evidence

The United Nations may be a Reichstag or a Soviet; it can never be a parliament. It might well, however, have served some other useful functions, notably in the cause of peace and human decency. Instead, it has become, in the words of the late Tibor Szamuely, an organization for the conservation of conflict, so that when, after thirty years, a first attempt was made to negotiate an Arab-Israel peace, all parties agreed on one thing if nothing else—that to give their negotiation any chance of success, it must be kept away from the explosive and contaminating influence of the United Nations. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1339 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The United Nations conserves conflict rather than resolving it as a parliament — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1339; Multilateral climate summits structurally protect national self-interest over collective action — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2667; Middle Eastern regimes benefit from keeping the Israeli conflict unresolved

Broader Connections

• The United Nations conserves conflict rather than resolving it as a parliament #corroborates (1.00) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1339