political

• The UN is the worlds biggest and most influential IGO with 193 member states. It was founded at the end of the Second World War to encourage dialogue, goodwill and understanding between its members and to promote development and respect for human rights
• the 1945 Charter - all members of the UN are bound by its charter. This commits nation states.
• The 1945 charter - To practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours
• The 1945 charter - To unite our strength to maintain international peace and security
• Liberal attempt to build a global community are balanced in the charter by the realist acknowledgement that nation states still possess sovereignty.
• The UN is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members (UN charter Article 1) This of course significantly limits the authority of the UN, since its charter recognises the sovereign independence of the states.
• Security council the UNs most powerful body. Its five permanent and ten non-permanent members decide on matters connected with international peace and security.
• Security council is the UN's most important body, since it decides on the action necessary to protect international peace and security.
• Chapter 7 of the UN charter allows the security council to determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression.
• Economic and diplomatic pressure is insufficient, then the security council may 'take such action by air, sea or land forces.as Amy be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security'
• The five permanent members of the security council are the US, the UK, Russia, China and France. Try are joined by 10 non-permanent members, which are elected by the general assembly and serve for two years.
• For a UN resolution to pass, a minimum of 9 out of 15 states on the security council must support it.
• The five permanent members possess a veto which means that they can stop resolutions which they disagree with. Therefore, the security council often fails to agree resolutions to resolve international threats to peace because a resolution conflict with strategic interests of the permanent five which thus choose to veto it.
• In reality, the secretary-generals powers are limited, but the role usually carries considerable persuasive or soft power, enhanced through being seen as neutral and defending the UN's founding values.
• The UNSC veto power was created to prevent the problem that ad plagued the League of Nations, namely that decisions had to be made unanimously among a group much larger than the fiver permanent members of the modern - day UNSC
• The idea of 'great power unanimity' recognises that some states are more powerful than others
• the more powerful states need to have their superiority recognised and for decisions on peace and security matters to be taken in a smaller group, where these states could defend their interests using the veto. The veto therefore recognises the importance of powerful countries remaining within the UN.
• Russia is the most frequent user of the veto = veto more than 100 times since 1945
• The USA is the second most frequent veto user.
• The Cold War saw the Soviet Union and the USA frequently use the veto, reflecting the bipolarity of the world order in which both nation - states were equally powerful and intent on challenging each other.
• UNSC came under significant criticism for their response to the war in Syria - could have done more to prevent government forces led by President Bashar Al - Assad from committing systematic trout and barrel bombing of neighbourhoods.
• Assads forces were responsible for 300000 deaths and because of a failure of leadership.
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  Yes

  permanent members are too powerful and are able to veto anything that threatens their national interests and prevent action from being taken. The UNSC has been powerless to act meaningfully on Syria
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  Yes

  Powerful percent members can misbehave and veto any action against them - I.E Russia's annexation of Crimea In 2014
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  Yes

  The UNSC is powerless to stop powerful countries from acting alone to pursue their interests - US led Iraqi invasion
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  No

  The UNSC achieves a lot, passing many resolutions successfully
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  No

  Under its chapter 6 powers, it can settle disputes peacefully and has authorised 69 peacekeeping missions around the world since 1946. Under its chapter 7 powers, it has authorised military action and has imposed successful sanctions on regimes posing a risk to international security.
• Does the veto prevent the UNSC from anything done

  No

  Allowing powerful states to have a veto have meant that major powers have stayed within the UN system and the UNSC remains relevant. Without it, there is a risk that powerful permanent members would leave the UN, as happened with the League of Nations.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? Yes para 1

  France and the UK are no longer significant world powers and should either be replaced or supplemented with other powers that have emerged since 1945
• Should the UNSC be refomred? Yes para 2

  The UNSC's composition reflects a view that the major powers in global politics have not changed since 1945. The UNSC, therefore, does not reflect the current geopolitical realities in its membership, especially in not taking into account newly emerged powers such as Brazil, Germany , India and Japan.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? Yes para 3

  More non-permanent or permanent members without veto power could be compromise that would allow for greater diversity without giving new members too much power. While they cannot veto resolutions, they are not powerless. If seven non - permanent members vote against a resolution, it will not pass. Permanent members have to make efforts to persuade non - permanent members to support their resolutions
• Should the UNSC be refomred? Yes others

  The UNSC was already successfully reformed in 1965, when the number of non - permanent members increased from six to ten.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? No para 1

  It would be impossible for the permanent members to agree on a new permanent member as they have power of veto. Attempts at reform would be doomed to failure.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? No para 2

  Agreeing on new members would be fraught with difficult. Pakistan would likely oppose India's membership, seeing this as a direct threat to its interests.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? No para 3

  More states having veto power would further increase the likelihood of resolutions being vetoed and therefore the uNSC being unable to act. Even with only two states, Russia and the USA, active users of the veto, the UNSC is often in stalemate.
• Should the UNSC be refomred? No others

  Measures such as abolishing the veto altogether, or otherwise restricting the ability of the major powers to protect their national interests, could see the UN return to the problems of the league or nations, where the major powers withdrew because they had no facility to defend their national interests.
• UNSC Res 242 : The UNSC calls on Israel to withdraw from territory that is occupied in the six day war including the Gaza Strip, Golan heights and west banks. Israel has not complied with this resolutions and has occupied the territory since 1967.
• UNSC res 1441 - The UNSC unanimously gives raw and its leader Saddam Hussein a final opportunity with its disarmament obligations, stating that country was in material breach of the UNSC ceasefire resolutions. The UK and US claim this authorised the invasion of Iraq.
• UNSC res 2118 - the UNSC requires Syria to disarm itself of chemical weapons, establishing a process successfully overseen by the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons.
• The UNSC demands a ceasefire in Libya and agrees 'all necessary means short of foreign occupation' for the protection of civilians.