Ralph Bunche is remembered most for three major achievements in the international field. His mediation of the end of the first Israel-Arab war, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize; his work in the tumultuous period of independence in the Congo; and his "invention" of United Nations peacekeeping, which itself won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. This article looks at the legacy of each of these achievements. While Bunche's contemporary achievements were outstanding, in each of these areas the long-term legacy is marked by disappointment and indeed retrogression from the time of his contributions. (Contains 2 footnotes.)