THE UNITED NATIONS AND NAMIBIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION AND THE CREATION OF NORMS OF INTERNATIONAL BEHAVIOR.
Item
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Title
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THE UNITED NATIONS AND NAMIBIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION AND THE CREATION OF NORMS OF INTERNATIONAL BEHAVIOR.
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Identifier
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AAI8611338
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identifier
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8611338
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Creator
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EL-SAID, MAHMOUD F.
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Political Science, International Law and Relations
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Abstract
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When the United Nations was founded in 1945, the issue of non-self-governing territories and colonies was prominent in the debate that preceded the signing of the United Nations Charter. The Charter that emerged included numerous provisions reflecting the anti-colonial thinking and gave great significance to self-government and self-determination. Fifteen years later, the General Assembly called for the immediate granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples. By 1970, the world was essentially decolonized. Yet, the status of one Territory, Namibia, remained unresolved. As a result of the refusal of the Colonial Power, South Africa, to cooperate with the United Nations towards the achievement to Namibia's independence, the General Assembly in 1966 unilaterally terminated South Africa's Mandate over the Territory. In 1967, it created the United Nations Council for Namibia (UNCN) to administer the Territory as a de jure government until independence. Through the council, the United Nations has been financing, supervising and conducting a massive program for the preparation of the Namibian people for independence and the assistance to its refugees. Also, the General Assembly recognized the national liberation movement South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Namibian people and granted it an observer status. Thus, the United Nations, in pursuing the case of Namibia, has developed new institutions and new norms of international behavior. The campaign for Namibian independence has benefitted from the evolution of the right of self-determination and made a further contribution to its validity. The UNCN is an important, unprecedented innovation in the institutional development of the United Nations. Also, the General Assembly's actions with regard to SWAPO have afforded SWAPO both legitimacy and concrete support. Finally, the General Assembly's endorsement of armed struggle for national liberation and other actions in pursuit of Namibian independence are justified and legitimate under the United Nations Charter. Such actions by the General Assembly have resulted in new norms of international behavior.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Political Science
