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It is a sad day for the United States. Sadder still for the world. An era of relative peace and prosperity has come to a tragic end. The Resources Wars are upon us, and in my humble opinion the United Nations is needed now more than ever. Sadly, the world disagrees.Sakugama Okiri, Final United Nations President

The United Nations (UN) was an international organization that existed prior to 2052. It disbanded on July 26, 2052.[2]

Background[]

The United Nations actively worked to restore peace during international crises but ultimately was not successful. Its last Secretary-General was a Japanese diplomat, Sakugama Okiri.[2]

In May 2052, the United Nations began to collapse,[Non-game 1] due to the start of the Resource Wars following the European Commonwealth's military intervention in the Middle East. The oil-rich states of the Middle East had raised crude oil prices to near confiscatory levels in light of the growing global petroleum shortage.[Non-game 2][Non-game 3]

Facing an economic disaster because of European nations' heavy reliance on imported Middle Eastern oil, the European Commonwealth had invaded the Middle East to force its states to lower oil prices or to seize their remaining reserves of petroleum. The United Nations actively tried to restore the peace with nothing to show for their efforts. As natural resource pressures grew and the United Nations' impotence to maintain a stable international order became clear, many member nations withdrew from the organization, prepared to use military force to defend what was theirs or seize what was somebody else's. The United Nations General Assembly finally disbanded the organization on July 26, 2052, after the majority of its member-states had withdrawn from it.[2][Non-game 3]

Its former headquarters in New York City attracted much interest for its real estate value, which led to a bidding war among various organizations, one of which included toy retailer Bumbalo's, seeking to turn it into a superstore.[2] Although the eventual buyer is unknown, Vault-Tec's training guides included a cartoon depiction of the UN building being overtaken with Vault-Tec logos. It is unclear if this is a reflection of reality or merely a hyperbolic use of the UN's imagery.[3]

Notes[]

  • The Sierra Depot GNN transcript references the "UN council" as being active as late as October 2077.[4] However, much of the information on the holodisk contradicts established Fallout canon as presented in later games, and was planned to be revised in the future to better fit the series timeline, according to the sixth edition of the Fallout Bible.[5]
  • The manual for Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel states that the United Nations fell apart in 2025.[Non-canon 1] While this seems to contradict the date of 2052 given in Fallout 3 and the Fallout Bible, it is not clarified if "falling apart" means they disbanded or if this simply meant this was the beginning of a gradual decades-long downfall.

Gallery[]

References[]

Non-game

  1. Fallout Bible 0: "2052 May-July: The United Nations, already suffering, begins to collapse. In a series of heated debates, many nations withdraw from the organization as the UN tries to keep the peace. At the end of July, the United Nations is disbanded."
  2. Fallout Bible 0: "2052 April: The Resource Wars begin. Many smaller nations go bankrupt, and Europe, dependent on oil imports from the Middle East, responds to the Middle East's rising oil prices with military action. The long drawn-out war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East begins."
  3. 3.0 3.1 Fallout history marketing picture

Non-canon

  1. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Manual p. 5: "In 2025, as the planet’s resources dried up, the United Nations fell apart, causing many smaller nations to fall with them as financial havoc swept across the globe. The handful of peace agreements between Europe and the Middle East were cast aside as they fell into a long, drawn-out war over the few remaining productive oil fields."
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