Presents profiles of 192 countries worldwide, each with information in thirty-three categories, including location and size, population, religions, economy, health, and housing, a list of famous citizens, and a bibliography. Includes graphs, charts, glossaries, photographs, and maps.

Scholar Kennedy gives a thorough history of the United Nations that explains the institution's roots and functions while also casting an eye on the UN's effectiveness as a body and on its prospects for success in meeting coming challenges. He makes sense of the commissions and committees, and how the six main operating bodies operate and interact. Citing examples from history, he shows how the five permanent members of the Security Council on numerous...