Rarely has an institution founded on such noble ideals plunged to such lows.  The United Nations, headquartered by Manhattan’s East River, was established in 1945, in the wake of World War II, to prevent humanity from more cataclysmic conflicts. After two world wars claimed 100 million lives, the UN’s founding members sought to replace the failed League of Nations with a functioning forum capable of resolving global disputes before they spiraled into catastrophe.  Eight decades later, that