Thomas B. Morgan

About the author: Thomas B. Morgan is president of the United Nations Association of the USA, a national, nonpartisan membership organization.

The United Nations has been blamed for failing to end the wars in Bosnia and Somalia during its interventions in those countries, though its only mission in each case was to provide humanitarian aid. Those who criticize the United Nations should remember that the U.N. is made up of individual member states, all of whom share the responsibility for failed missions. The U.N. should receive credit for its success in saving the lives of refugees, reducing poverty, and stopping violence.

Give the United Nations a break. For all the passionate and disparate voices decrying its failure in Bosnia, let's at least note that the role of the United...