Council on Foreign Relations - UN Resolutions

UN Resolutions and the Middle East

Author:	Christopher W. Tatlock

Updated: December 18, 2006

Introduction

Since its founding at the end of World War II, the United Nations has played a major role in defining--if not solving--the conflicts which grew out of the retreat of colonialism from the Middle East. From the Western Sahara to Lebanon to Iran, UN resolutions, usually from the Security Council, have often been the closest thing to an international consensus on the region's many disputes. Some of these resolutions have come and gone, proving unenforceable, untimely, or just plain unwise. But the following few dozen remain highly relevant today.