The United Nations

The UN, founded 1945, remains the principal global governance institution. Its General Assembly includes all 193 member states. Its Security Council (with five permanent veto-wielding members: U.S., UK, France, Russia, China) handles peace and security questions. The UN system includes specialized agencies: the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and many others.

The UN has had successes (peacekeeping operations, humanitarian relief, vaccination campaigns, the elimination of smallpox) and failures (inability to prevent the Rwandan genocide, paralysis on Syria, limited responses to climate change). Like the League of Nations before it, the UN reflects the willingness or unwillingness of its member states to act collectively.