orderly, progressive developmental growth and economic reconstruction. 79. Any analysis of today’s world would show that the reasons which led to the concerns of the founders of the United Nations remain valid. The Security Council, which has been entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, is there- fore under a special obligation to determine whether it has been proceeding in the right direction over the past four decades and to identify the measures which should be adopted in order to achieve fully the aims set out in the Charter of the United Nations. 80. The experience of the last 40 years indicates clearly that what the Council can and must achieve is the creation of a climate which will conduce to the realization that a spiralling arms race is not the guarantee of the safety and security which it seeks. We shrink from imputing to any country the barbarous desire to gain world domination by unleashing the most lethal and devastating of the weapons in its armoury. We are convinced that what every State really desires is freedom to survive in a peaceful environ- ment in which it can improve the living conditions of its citizens and be secure from the risk of attack by others. 81. It is ironical, however, that in many cases this pm- cious freedom is being sought by expending monumental sums of money on weapons of limitless destruction. One recognizes that every nation has a right to defend itself. But the growing arms build-up, both nuclear and conven- tional, has triggered an intense race far in excess of the legitimate need for self-defence and is posing a threat to international peace and security. In fact, one thousand billion dollars are spent each year on weapons of destruc- 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security, and the irony that countries are spending large sums of money on weapons of destruction to achieve this goal. It highlights the need to create a climate that promotes peace and security, rather than a spiraling arms race. The text does not explicitly mention economic development, natural resources, or environmental issues, but it does touch on the theme of international relations and security.

**Category**
International trade, Employment