By Lukman Raimi, PhD
History is an uncompromising teacher. In the aftermath of World War I (WWI), the League of Nations was established in 1919 with the noble aim of preventing another global disaster. Yet, it ultimately failed because it lacked both the authority to enforce its resolutions and the collective political will of its members.
When Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, Italy attacked Ethiopia in 1935, and Adolf Hitler expanded Nazi Germany’s territorial ambitions across Europe between 1936 and 1939, the international community responded largely with words of condemnation rather than decisive action.
By September 1939, the world descended into World War II WWIi). The League was therefore dissolved in 1946 and replaced in 1945 by the United Nations (UN). Diplomats, political analyst s and Heads of States noted that the UN is better and more enduring because it is designed with stronger authority and a Security Council empowered under Chapter VII to enforce peace, justice and balance across the globe. The promise of the UN was clear: never again would unchecked aggression and absolutism destabilize humanity.
It now eight decades, structural paralysis persists. Since 7 October 2023, the Gaza conflict has escalated into genocide with attendant humanitarian crisis. Endless resolutions presented at the Security Council to take action on the Israeli Hitlerism were blocked by veto power politics of the United States.
Shamefully, the Peace Deal between Hamas and Israel has been severally violated by Israeli regime with backing from Washington. Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank are living skeletons in the face of homelessnes, hopelessness, helplessness and haplessness. Even UN-mandated agencies raised concerns that Peace Deal implementation proved ineffective.
In June 2025, coordinated U.S.–Israeli strikes targeted Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities. Beyond rhetoric, there was nothing the United Nations could do. No reprimand for Israel. The International Criminal Court verdict and arrest warrant against Israel Prime Minister, Netanyahu remains unenforceable.
Today another round of military escalation purportedly described as “Operation Lion’s Roar”, again highlighted the paralysis of the UN global governance. The senseless and aggressive strike on Iran by the US-Isreal military took out Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei on Iranian territory. The unfortunate strike led to the death of over 80 innocent school students and killing of the highest authority of a sovereign nation. This irresponsible act under the watch of the UN represents an extraordinary escalation with profound implications for international law, sovereignty, and global stability.
Under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state is prohibited except under narrowly defined self-defense provisions. Such an event would signal not only regional crisis but systemic deterrence failure.
Last month, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and intensified sanctions was imposed on Cuba with a threat to any countries that dare to trade with Cuba. All these geopolitical recklessness and brigandage have deepened debates about sovereignty, international law and its selective enforcement. These ugly developments reinforce the perception that enforcement of international norms often reflects geopolitical alignment rather than universal justice.
The pertinent questions and answers are: Are we better off currently than during the eras preceding World War I and World War II? Technologically and institutionally, yes. Structurally and morally, however, the concentration of veto authority among five permanent members mirrors old hierarchies of power. The developing countries remains underrepresented in permanent decision-making, despite constituting the majority of humanity.
If justice is truly the end of government, global governance must evolve, and be operationally independent. A new Unity Nations must democratize representation, reform or eliminate veto dominance, and establish automatic enforcement triggers against genocide, war crimes, unlawful aggression, and violations of sovereignty. It must be powerful than EU, AU, USA, Russia, China and other power blocks. This is necessary to tame Neo-Hitlerism. Without structural transformation of the UN, global peace architecture risks repeating history. At present, the UN is a useless platform for condemning injustice eloquently, yet preventing it weakly.
Afterall, Thomas Jefferson, a former American President said: “Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy.”
Also, James Madison, popularly called Father of the US Constitution, said: “Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.”
@ Dr. Lukman Raimi is an entrepreneurship educator, legal researcher, policy analyst, and public intellectual with a strong interest in governance, institutional reform, and sustainable development.
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