Restructuring the Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action. Its powers are exercised through United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) and ten elected non-permanent members with two-year terms. The ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms starting on 1 January, with five replaced each year.
These permanent members were selected after WWII, and consisted of the winning nations in the war, namely France, the USSR, The Republic of China, the UK, and the US. Since then, there have only been two changes to these permanent members, with the People’s Republic of China replacing the Republic of China after it was given China’s seat in the UN and Russia replacing the USSR after its collapse. Barring both of these changes, which can be regarded as continuations rather than changes, the member nations have not been altered whatsoever, ignoring the change of political power in the world since 1946.
Recently, there has been a growing outcry to reform the Security Council, with calls for elimination of the vetoing power held by the permanent members, increasing the number of permanent members and expanding the council. Those for these changes claim that the Security Council no longer reflects the major international powers, with the 5 permanent members outdated. Another claim is that since all of the permanent members are in possession of nuclear weapons, it grants them more power to put their own interests first. There has been an ongoing process of reform for many years now, and it is obvious that a change is needed.
Helpful Sites:
http://www.securitycouncilreport.org
Download Preambulatory Clauses here.
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