The analysis and proposals contained in this volume argue that the North, and in particular the United States, must not be allowed to dictate what happens to the UN system in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting. Instead, what the world desperately needs are more effective and more democratic international institutions able to play their full part not only in peacekeeping but in managing and developing a more just world economy. What is at stake is the very nature and direction of the United Nations. This book puts the case for this alternative approach and the changes required if the UN system is not to be emasculated, but rather strengthened.