The United Nations (UN) is a global organization of 193 states that have committed to the maintenance of international peace and security according to the UN Charter. Since its establishment in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations, the UN has grown in both the breadth of its membership and in the scope of activities. These activities span the political, economic, [Page 861]environmental, human rights, legal, and security arenas. States come together at the UN in order to achieve agreements on these and other issues. Scholarship has examined the political behavior of key individuals in the UN, UN member states, and the UN as an international actor. This political behavior involves engaging in negotiations, decision making, and the implementation of international agreements. Actors ...