In the spring of 2003, as we stood on the brink of war with Iraq, millions of people turned to the UN for a 'second resolution' and for an answer to the crisis. We Did Nothing brilliantly exposes how these resolutions are made and what they mean in practice: during the 1990s Linda Polman visited the UN missions to Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda and witnessed the sometimes absurd and often horrifying consequences of the decisions made at UN headquarters.

In a voice that is utterly compelling, Polman describes what she sees on the frontline: the underequipped UN soldier who must search for mines by prodding the ground with a stick; the bare-chested, heavily armed Captain Max of US Special Forces who is leading 'Operation Restore Democracy' in Haiti and will shoot anyone who doesn't cooperate, as UN observers are forced to stand by and observe.

In her clear and impassioned book, Linda Polman demonstrates that when the UN fails it is truly our governments who have failed. We Did Nothing shows what these resolutions mean for the people who live in these war zones, and for the UN soldiers who are sent in to bring order to the terrifying chaos.

'Linda Polman reveals how the UN works and what it means in practice. At a time when the US government is hell-bent on destroying the only forum for international negotiation that we have, this book is a vital weapon against the self-serving and dangerous arguments of men like Richard Perle, Chairman of the Defence Policy Board.'
Terry Jones

‘Despite all its faults and shortcomings- some of which I have witnessed first-hand as a reporter - we have yet to find anything that could take the place of the United Nations.  Linda Polman's book is a timely reminder of how the UN's lofty, communal ideals so often founder on the rocks of national interest and big-power arrogance.’ 
George Alagiah

‘Told with candour and clarity, it manages to capture the absurdly farcical nature of the UN’s role in today’s political geography’
Booksellers’ Choice, The Bookseller