United Nations

Laurence Peters currently directs the United Nations Association's only graduate seminar on the United Nations in Washington DC where he also teaches Politics of Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Education. After studying for a doctorate at the University of Michigan, Peters gained a law degree and became a counsel to a congressional education subcommittee. As a Senior Policy Advisor to the US Department of Education he took a special interest in education technology and has authored several books on global education including, From Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity (with Kuttan) (2003), Scaling Up Success (with Dede and Honan) (2005), and Global Education: Using Technology to Bring the World to Your Students (2009). He currently serves as an advisor to Partners for Transparency and is married with three children.

• Contents Foreword Introduction Preface About the Author 1. Collective Security: The Classical Legacy 2. A Global Forum Dedicated to the Prevention of Conflict: The Visionary Architects 3. The Balance of Power: Kant's Decisive Contribution 4. The Rise of International Law: The Decisive Contribution of Hugo Grotius 5. Sovereignty: How the Peace of Westphalia Defined the UN's View of Nationhood 6. The UN and the Rise of the Humanitarian Tradition 7. The Peaceful Settlement of Disputes 8. The Development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Conclusion Endnotes Further Reading Important UN websites Index