2003 may well prove to have been a wastershed year in the history of the United Nations. First, the notion of a ‘pre-emptive war’ solely tested the organization, which was founded in 1945 to ‘avert the scourge of war.’ Then, on August 19th, the United Nations became a target of terrorism, suffering the worst-ever attack on its personnel.

Is this crisis over Iraq forging a different United Nations? Will the new security environment affect UN operations worldwide? And if the organization is really ‘irrelevant’ – as so many critics claim – why is the UN’s role in Africa on the rise?

In this edition of World Chronicle, these issues are addressed with the help of Fred Eckhard, the Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.