We Did Nothing. Why The Truth Doesn'T Always Come Out When The Un Goes In

In the spring of 2003, as we stood on the brink of war with Iraq, millions of people turned to the UN for a 'second resolution' and for an answer to the crisis. We did Nothing brilliantly exposes how these resolutions are made and what they mean in practice: during the 1990s Linda Polman visited the UN missions to Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda and witnessed the sometimes absurd and often horrifying consequences of the decisions made at UN headquarters. In a voice that is utterly compelling, Polman describes what she sees on the frontline: the underequipped UN soldier who must search for mines by prodding the ground with a stick ; the bare-chested, heavily armed Captain Max of US Special Forces who is leading 'Operation Restore Democracy' in Haiti and will shoot anyone who doesn't cooperate, as UN observers are forced to stand by and observe. In her clear and impassioned book, Linda Polman demonstrates that when the UN fails it is truly our governments who have failed. We Did Nothing shows what the resolutions mean for the people who must live in these war zones, and for the UN soldiers who are sent to bring order to the terrifying chaos.