The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation. The UN was founded by 51 nations and replaced the League of Nations after World War II. Its objectives are to maintain international peace, foster friendly relations among nations, and promote social and economic progress. Since its creation, the UN now has 193 members in total, of which only 3 countries are excluded for political reasons. Over the past 68 years, the UN has succeeded in many ways, including preventing war, maintaining peace and providing humanitarian assistance. However, the UN has also failed on many fronts due to political discord among its member countries, particularly among the five permanent Security Council countries. The Parliament of Man by Paul Kennedy is an extremely informative and comprehensive book on the United Nations. The book continually references the original UN charter to provide the reader with historical context, reminding them of the immense challenges that were present in 1945. In the first chapter, Kennedy gives a detailed overview of the origins of the UN, moving on reviewed several conferences between the United States and the Soviet Union and how compromises were reached before the signing of the San Francisco Charter. Next, Kennedy delves deeper into the evolution of the UN from its initial founding to its current organization. The following chapters are organized thematically rather than chronologically. While this does not allow readers to have a sequential view of the entire UN, it does allow readers to delve into the various UN agencies. According to Kennedy, the UN has... middle of paper ... world leaders are willing to recognize the underlying cracks in its foundations. In his book, The Parliament of Man, Kennedy sheds light on everything the United Nations has done, from astonishing successes to terrible failures. Throughout the book, Kennedy tries to provide the reader with as much information as possible about the past, present and future of the UN. The United Nations was founded 68 years ago, but since then the world has changed enormously. In order to survive as an international organization, changes must be made. Kennedy offers several suggestions on how to keep the UN as a relevant organization in an ever-changing world, but he also recognizes that Security Council leaders will always be reluctant to share power. Overall, Kennedy provides an in-depth and solid history of how the UN took its modern form..