The United Nations: A Curse or a Blessing Lalit K Kaul The name would suggest that the Nations are United. Founded in 1945 it has membership of 193 countries. It’s Goals: committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Two countries have been excluded from its membership - the Vatican City (Holy See) and Palestine. The founding of the UN in 1945 and exclusion of Palestine (as a nation) as its member is not a coincidence, but assertion of the fact that Palestine, by then, had ceased to be on the map of the world as the then US President, Frank D Roosevelt, had declared the birth of ‘State of Israel’ after the British, since 1911, had successfully facilitated the influx of Jews into Palestine from different parts of the world while simultaneously overseeing the forced exodus of Palestinians as engineered by Jews from their Homeland to places l...