expresstheirinterests; where,inotherwords,someelmentofthephilosophy of democracy finds expre~sion internationally. Achangeinthestructure ofthe General Assembly wouldthusbeanattack.bothoninternationalism andonthe validity oftheveryideaofthelegal ~quality ofnations. Porthatmajority isnoteffective intheSecurity Council, wherethe permanent membership andvetopoweroffiveUnitedNations Members was,fromthe beginning, aconcession totherealityofmilitary andeconomic power-thatis,to thepowerbalance whichexisted in1945.Putmorekindly, thevetowasa recognition ofthespecial responsibilities forupholding peacewhichinevitablyIBeT/et A/40/PV.13 7 (President Nyerere) falluponthestrongifpeaceistoprevail intheworld. Whether thepermanent membership doesinfactinallcasesstill re~resent therealityofworldpower centresishighlyquestionableJ butthatisnotamatteraboutwhichIintendto speaktoday. But,inanycase,astheSecretary-General againpointsoutinhisextremely admirable reporttotheUnitedNations thisyear,theUnitedNationsisnotaworld Government. Nonationhas,byjoiningit,surrendered anyofitssovereignty. TheabilityoftheUnitedNations tocarryouttheinternationalist purposes forwhichitwasestablished therefore depends primarily upontheattitudes and policies ofitsMemberStates, andparticula~ly uponthoseofthevetoPowers. And Tanzania isbecoming veryconcerned aboutthedecreasing internationalism inthe attitudes andpolicies ofsomeverypowerful Members ofourOrganization, andthe consequent weakening ofthewholeUnitedNations system. Perhaps themostblatant example -andIcanonlygiveafewofmany examples -ofinternati~nal authoritarianism isthegrowing practice ofthreatening adverse consequences tosmallnations whichusetheirUnitedNations votesina mannerdispleasing toastrongPower. Weknowfromexperience thatthishasbeen happening privately forsometime.Butnoweventhesenseofpropriety hasgone; smallandpoorcountries arebeingpublicly threatened thattheywillbepunished iftheydonotvoteinaccordance withthewishesofaMemberofthisOrganization. Whatarewesupposed todowhenthesuper-Powers voteagainst ourinterests? Twenty-eight resolutions onmatters ofgreatimportance toTanzania wereconsidered inthethirty-ninth sessionoftheGeneral Assembly. Theyweremostlyconcerned withAfricanorcolonial questions andthelawofthesea.Onewaspassedby consensus; theUnitedStatesofAmerica votedagainst 17ofthemandabstained on 10.Arewethenexpected toregardthatUnitedNations Memberasanenemy? Orare wetoacceptitsassurances thatitsdisagreement istheresultofitsownBCT/at A/40/PV.13 8 (President Nyerere) judgement ontheissuesanddoesnotindicate anylackoffriendship towards us? Andif-aswehaveuntilnowdone-wearetodothelatter, f/hatexempts thebig Powersfromthesameobligation? Fornations asforindividuals, povertyisitselfdegrading enough. Dowe havetoaddtoit,byattempts toexploit thefactofpoverty todeprive theweak andthepooroftheonlythingwhichtheyhave-theirhumandignity and self-respect? Iammindful oftheSecretary-Generalis appealtoustoavoiddivisive rhetoric inthisAssembly. ButImustreassert therightofallUnitedNations Members tospeakandtovoteinaccordance withtheirownjudgement, albeitthat thejudgement ofallofusisaffected byourowninterests. TObelittle that rightistothreaten thewholestructure ofinternational co-operation; itis derogatory tothedignity oftheUnitedNations, andofourseparate States. Wewerecolonies once;wearenolongercolonies. And,speaking forTanzania, werefusetobec~~eaneo-colony ofanycountry underthesun.Wethird-world countries didnotwinourindependence -inTanzania's case,withthehelpofthe UnitedNations system-inordertosellittothehighest bidder, noreventobuy offtrouble byvotingintheGeneral Assembly atthebehestofavetoPower. We willusetheonlyrightourweakness leavestous-therighttoscreamaprotest atinternational authoritarianism andbullying. Mysecondexample ofinternational authoritarianism relatesdirectly tothe futureexistence ofhumanity. Matters related tonuclear weapons andtheir testing, aboveallothersUbjects, should ~discussed andsettled onthebasisof thecommoninterest ofallpeoples. I IIBeT/at A/40/PV.13 9-10 I(President Nyerere) ThepartialtestbanTreatyof1963 represent~d anadvancefor internationalism. Sincethentherehasjust be~ntheNon-Proliferation Treatyof 1970.Itishighlyquestionable whetherithasstopped anynon-nuclear Power-a signatory orotherwise -fromdeveloping anuclear weapons.capacity ifitwould otherwise havedoneso,ithascertainly notstopped acontinued andmassive growth inthenumber, thesizeandthevarietyofnuclear weapons inthehandsofthefive nuclear Powers. ,BHS/ed A/40/PV.13 11 (President Nyerere) Onthecontrary~ nowweevenhavetheStrategic DefenceInitiative -the threattotakenuclear andlaserbeamwarintospace. Thismatteris~"\ot e~'en