United Nations. We hope.

Often criticised for their inability to accomplish things, the United Nations can often seem like a really defunct institution. I tend towards optimism in most facets of life, but even I am dismayed at times by the meaninglessness of some of the UN's actions. Inactions.

But I must admit that when I visited the headquarters in New York, I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope in just the idea of nations united. It is definitely a powerful thing.

The building itself was far from spectacular. In fact, it seemed almost run down in some areas. The gardens were pretty, but entirely fenced off. And I know it was naive of me to expect more, but the security guards just didn't seem all that sophisticated.

Yet walking through the security checkpoint, I found myself very excited. I was thrilled at the idea of being on an international territory (yes, to visit the UN you must actually leave US soil - unfortunately no, you don't get a stamp on your passport that proves it). I was eager to impress everyone that I spoke to, with some faint idea at the back of my mind that this is what should be done here - it is a place of unity, respect and peace.

United nations is a fairly romantic notion. Even before the birth of the nation-state people struggled to coexist peacefully, and whilst forming nations added politics to the already volatile mix of racial, religious and geographical tensions, it did little to halt conflict. In fact, it became yet another reason to go to war.

But with nations and nation-states also came a new sense of diplomacy. Nations can work together in ways that, historically, different races or people from different religous groups could not. All sorts of different people can be united under the banner of 'nation', whereas defining people by their race or religion is much more constraining.

Standing in the lobby of the UN Headquarters I was as giddy as a scholar who finally discovered not the solution to his problem, but a new path to a potential solution. It was exhilarating, and I couldn't get enough of the idealism that existed within the walls of that very building.

Or maybe I am just naive. Either way, I'm not letting go of my idealism easily.

Is peace worth fighting for?