Irrelevance by Inaction at the United Nations
By Connor Weingarten
During law school, Connor worked for the Schenectady County Attorney’s Office, the New York State Department of Labor, and in the office of New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez.
The creators of the United Nations Charter conceived that five countries—China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) [which was succeeded in 1990 by the Russian Federation], the United Kingdom and the United States—because of their key roles in the establishment of the United Nations, would continue to play important roles in the maintenance of international peace and security.
These nations were granted the special status of Permanent Member States at the Security Council, along with a special voting power known as the “right to veto.” It was agreed by the drafters that if any one of the five permanent members cast a negative vote in the 15-member Security Council, the resolution or decision would not be approved.
However, this power has ultimately made the Council powerless. The Council’s standard operating procedure has been inaction, allowing the Permanent Member States to strike down any attempts at intervention which aimed to prevent human suffering and violations of international law across the globe.
This paper explores that inaction, and how without reform, the Council is on the brink of irrelevance.
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To read the paper, open HERE.
