Is The UN Security Council Fit for Purpose in The 21st Century?
- UN Security Council is undeniably an organization dealing with global peace and security. Its successes and failures in global conflict management have been subjects of international scrutiny. The council’s activities on the member states from 1946 have supposedly remained constant with more members joining. UN Security Council however experiences a myriad of hurdles including lack of proper accountability of actions to member states. Ineffectiveness of organizations within UN Security Council, for instance, the Economic and Social Council accompanied by improper implementation on financial assets stewardship contributes to its hurdles. Additionally, there are invariable claims on competition caused by inadequate representation of member states.
- Conversely, UN Security Council has managed to promote not only peace and democracy, but also the development. The paper, therefore, endeavors to establish the fitness of UN Security council for the purpose in the 21st century. Initially, the organizations within the UN Security Council for instance, the Economic and Social Council, abbreviated as ECOSOC, have attested to be ineffective. The mentioned council presides over a series of committees and programs which accounts for nearly three-quarters of UN expenditure. However, the body does not represent all UN members and improperly directs the mandated activities hence allowing a vast waste of resources and inefficiency (Luck, 2006). Consequently, such ineffectiveness is not welcome in this 21st century.
- Secondly, members of the mentioned Security Council have failed on accountability to their citizens. Undoubtedly, the failure is real because most of the members are tyrants and therefore do not sincerely represent their citizens (Khong & Macfarlane, 2006). The withdrawal of the peacekeepers from Syria was a clear example of the failure of the organization. They argued that the situation had deteriorated and the peacekeepers could not continue staying in the area of separation that was the centre of the conflicts. Further, the Syrian civil war had already led to the deaths of over 90, 000 civilians. Interestingly, the Security Council allows such a Government to keep its seat regardless of the poor records or behavior towards the citizenry. Thus, UN Security Council has considerably failed to ensure accountability of the members.
- Thirdly, the UN Council played a role in the creation of the Palestinian-Israeli war. The institution was founded on the basis of ensuring peace among its member states. However, it has remarkably failed in some instances. A critical study of the Israeli-Palestine situation reveals that Palestine mainly consisted of Arabs with the Jews coming in due to immigration. With these facts in hand, the UNSCOP (United States Special Committee on Palestine) still recommended the division of Palestine into two. It meant the Arabs had to surrender their land to the Jews (Hammond, 2013). Such resolutions and debates made by the General Assembly questions the credibility of the organization. The adoption of untrue and unfair resolutions by vote on Israel have not only affected but also harmed the peace prospect (Brown, 1993). Consequently, lack of credibility in the UN Security Council makes it invalid.
- Conversely, UN Security Council serves to be equally essential. Vividly as seen in the success of promoting democracy in not less than 45 nations; El Salvador and Cambodia included. Secondly, UN has promoted the development by disbursing loans and grants which amount to more than 10 billion dollars. Additionally, UN has ensured peace and security prioritized in war affected nations hence providing humanitarian aid to victims by UN High Commissioner for refugee (Zaum et al., 2010).
- In conclusion, therefore, though the UN Security Council has successfully achieved peace and security coupled with other achievements, the fitness of the organization in the current century is however in question. An overwhelming number of member states are recommending reforms that seek to make the council more effective, democratic and credible in offering solutions to global security concerns.
References
Brown, M. (1993). Ethnic Conflict and International Security. USA: Princeton University Press.
Hammond, J. R. (2013, August 28). The Role of the U.N. in Creating the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-role-of-the-u-n-in-creating-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/#.VD4N_nYfPDc
Khong, Y. F., Macfarlane, S.N. (2006). Human Security and the UN: A Critical History. USA: Indiana University Press
Luck, E. C. (2006).UN Security Council: Practice and Promise. USA: Routledge
Zaum, D., Welsh, J., Roberts, A., Lowe, V. (2010). The United Nations Security Council and war: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945. USA: Oxford University Press.
