What do you think

Title

What do you think

Creator

Fabroz, Samuel B.

Language

English

Year

1957

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

About the United Nations as an instrument for peace?

Fulltext

Mr. Gregorio R. Andres According to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, there arc two extreme views con cerning the United Nations: bigotry against it and fanaticism for it. He wrote that there arc those who can see nothing but evil in the United Nations, who believe that it ought to be abolished since it is used only as a sounding board for Russian propaganda and because it has not established peace in the world. He minimized this view by saying that these men forget the good that the U.N. has accomplished, such as the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran, the support and help it gave to Greece to rid itself of Communist aggression, and also the financial aid that it gave to the distressed peoples of the world. The War in the Middle East triggered by the Suez Canal conflict con fronts the integrity of the United Nations. These questions are often asked: Would the integrity of the United Nations be doomed if such War continues without the U.N. having settled it? Is the United Nations, at this stage, a failure? How much faith have its members, especially small nations like the Philippines, on the assurance that they will enjoy security against foreign aggression? Should the U.N. pack up or stay? • Mr. GREGORIO R. ANDRES. Col lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences, says: "The hope for peace of the teeming millions of freedom-loving peoples was bolstered when free nations of the world created an able-bodied organization known as the United Nations Organization. Its main purpose of existence is de dicated to the maintenance of world peace and security by promoting friendly relations among nations. We should be thankful that the U.N. never lost its hope and never failed to show what it could do to uphold the doctrine of world peace. Instead, it has ferreted out impend ing threats which could have been another cause for the start of a global War. The hostilities that clogged the peace of Palestine, In donesia, and Greece were all paci fied by the endeavor of the United Nations through cease-fire and armistice agreements. In the case of Hungary, a logical step lor the attainment ol peace is being under taken so that the Hungarians may once again regain their shackled freedom. So to say, the United Nations Organization really deserves the name: an instrument for inter national peace and security." • Mr. PETRONIO ROA. College of Commerce, says: "As far as main tenance of international peace and security is concerned, the United What Do You Conducted by SAMUEL B. FABROZ Nations Organization is a failure. This is due to the fact that major powers who are so-called members of the U.N. don't cooperate in giv ing effect to the authority of the Organization in achieving peaceful settlement or adjusting disputes. Small member nations seem to be deprived ol the security they had hoped to achieve through it because of the U.N.'s inability to put an end to wranglings or to prevent the use of force. It is true that in Palestine, In donesia and Kashmir, the U.N. played a significant role in bringing fighting to an end. But on the Korean question, which is supposed to be more dangerous, the United Nations Organization was practi cally unable to take positive and advantageous steps to end the War. This failure could be attributed to the fact that the U.N. is adopting systems which are in effective, so to say. Control by the Organiza tion over its member, especially fhe big powers, is loose. By the system it has adopted and is still adopting, member states seem to be placed under no legal obligation to respect agreements and proposals mutually contracted. Therefore, it is but necessary that there be a complete revision of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly the provisions on col lective defense." i Mr. Petronio Roa Page 40 THE CAROLINIAN (Miss) Marietta Egay Think tion; there is, instead, everything to gain." • Miss NORMA N. SAZON, Normal College, says: ”1 believe that the United Nations Organization is hall-failure and half-successful as an instrument for international peace and security. It seems that the UNO has no power at all to use its collective force to deter or sup press encroachments. The reason could be partly that mutual agree ments among members impose no legal obligation for each country to respect each other. If there is such an imposition, it has been voided by repeated acts of aggression. Settle ment of disputes are not primarily directed toward encouraging parties to the conflict to agree to cessation of hostilities and to refrain from provocative acts. They are merely appeased. This may be one of the many reasons why the U.N. was a failure in all its attempt to accom plish the very purpose of its ex istence. What is needed, there fore, is an increase in the U.N.'s (Miss) Norma Sazon ganda. The United Nations Organ ization as an instrument for peace is, therefore, a flop." (Continued on page .',U) • Miss MARIETTA EGAY, College of Law, says: "When we speak of world peace, we must of necessity speak of United Nations Organiza tion. World peace is the organiza tion's chief reason for being. Since its formative years of existence, it cannot be denied that the U.N. has done its part in promoting friendly relations among nations all over the world. International disputes have been minimized through the meas ures undertaken by the U.N. just for and in the name of the great cause, international peace. The present chaos on the rivalry over the use of the Suez Canal is another problem which the United Nations is seriously trying to tackle. It is for that reason that it is exert ing every effort to deliberate how to put an end to the conflict in due time. Many countries the world over have benefited from the assistance rendered by the U.N. since it was created. That's why membership in it is sought by nations all over the world. Every year member states are growing in number. It can be said that nothing can be lost through membership of this noble organizaAbout The United Nations As An Instrument For Peace? armed force to cope with the threats of recalcitrant member-nations." • Miss PETAL AMODIA, College of Pharmacy, says: "The atmosphere which prevailed from the time the United Nations Organization was created up to the present time is indicative of the inability of the Or ganization to wipe out conflicts be tween countries. As of today, I think it erroneous to say that the U.N. is successful in maintaining peace and security all over the world. The United Nations' attempt to contain communist aggression against free countries of the world does not get the best results. A number of countries have already been eaten up and are now under communist control. The United Nations Organization, instead, is used by Russia as the main target of attack for communist propa- (Miss) Petal Amodia JANUARY, 1957 1’age 41 What Do You Think- About the United Nations (Continued from 41) As An Instrument For Peace? (Miss) Azucena Albino • Miss AZUCENA ALBINO, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, says: "The United Nations is the biggest existing world organization today. Il is composed of free nations all over the world. It is created lor the primary purpose of maintaining in ternational peace and security. It has provided a system for the ad justment of disputes and the use of collective measures against threats or breaches of the peace and has prescribed obligations for the adop tion of procedures to be strictly fol lowed in dealing with disputes that might arise The Security Council (Miss) Gregoria Turiaga of the U.N. enforces measures with out delay and to the full extent re quired by the circumstance. Any country which is a member of the United Nations Organization is therefore, assured of immediate pro tection and security in case of sud den War danger. That's why the U.N., as a promoter of world peace, is a resounding success." • Miss LILIA R. UY, Secretarial Dept., says: “The United Nations Or ganization is the world's instrument for international peace and security. Thus, the United Nations work against War for peace. This peace ful mission must, however, be ef fected not by the use of force against lorce but by negotiations and mutual agreements between countries to the disputes through U.N. mediation. In this respect, the U.N. has shown its competence to suppress hostilities and to effect peaceful agreements between war ring states. If for this reason alone, the U.N. is the answer to the cry for world peace." • Miss SONYA SOLON, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, say: "The records that the United Nations has racked up in settling conflicts that could have exploded into an other World War constitutes an ad mirable achievement. Had there been no effort on the part of the United Nations to mediate in grave crises, some hot-headed nations could have plunged our world into a catastrophic war. I think that the best way to in sure peace among nations is to keep that organization, working with everyone pitching his share of faith in humankind. I am aware, of course, that some harbingers of doom have lashed at the U.N. be cause they think that it caters to the whims of the Soviets. The pacifi cation, however, of some trouble makers by the U.N. hits back at the statement issued by these irrespon sible critics. I think it would be best for the United Nations to stay." • Miss GREGORIA TURIAGA, Col lege of Commerce, says: "In spite of the tremendous odds now barring the way to a peaceful negotiation on the current question of world affairs, the United Nations is, I think, doing a superb job of heading off (Miss) Lilia R. Uy the globe from another world cri sis. The success of the world or ganization will ultimately depend upon the cooperation of the family of nations who must come to the lore with their problems bared frankly and honestly. As it is to day, although the pace of progress towards the goal of United Nations is slow, it surely is getting some at tention for itself because more and more people begin to realize its va lue as an agency of peace. What seems important to note is that for the last ten years, it has successfully snapped off whatever might have been a cause for world wide friction. (Miss) Sonya Solon

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