The UN is a bad joke with no punchline. | New University

In the midst of the Second World War, the Allied Powers created the United Nations (UN) — a global peacekeeping organization dedicated to preventing world-wide conflict through international cooperation. When the war was over in 1945, the victors established themselves as the Permanent 5 (P5): the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France and China. This made up the UN Security Council, where they were given permanent membership and a special privilege: the veto power. This gave any member of the P5 the power to strike down international resolution or action with just one vote.