Is the UN irrelevant?

THE answer to the question whether the UN is irrelevant today is yes and no. Yes, because if the Middle East crisis triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran is a test of relevance, then the UN has failed that. And no, because beyond its responsibility for international peace and security, the UN continues to play a vital role, for example, in the humanitarian sphere, where its lifesaving assistance for Palestinians in Gaza has been critical despite Israeli obstruction. Over the decades, it has...