For upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level courses dealing with International Organizations, the United Nations, and the UN System. This comprehensive, historical, institutional, and functional/programmatic analysis of the development of contemporary international organizations in all forms, examines the activities of salient regional organizations and non governmental organizations, as well as multinational corporations. Focusing on major principles, organizational characteristics, functions, and activities of the United Nations and the UN system, the text strikes a balance between comprehensive coverage of the problems, inquiries, and decisions that face these organizations with concise, accessible treatment.