However the UN has been revered as essential for maintaining international peace and security, its effectiveness has been questioned to the point where even its existence has been questioned. If there is a growing consensus that the structure and methods of operation of the UN need to be revised since its inception, despite this widespread recognition, there has not yet been an agreement on exactly how this revision should be carried out, leaving the international community at an impasse. Is the UN reform viable? What are its main obstacles? What would be the UN’s ideal structure? Through an in-depth analysis of official documents and discussions surrounding this issue, Inês Teixeira Pinheiro addresses the unanswered questions, to the extent that she even offers her model of reform.

This is a penetrating analysis of UN Security Council reform. It presents an overview of the current debates - emphasising the potential for, and modalities of, adjustment in the post-Cold War era - through a systematic investigation of the various reform proposals and the attitudes of member states. This is essential reading for all students and scholars of the United Nations and international relations.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) remains an important source of legitimacy for international action. Yet despite dramatic changes in the international system over the past forty-five years, the composition of the UNSC has remained unaltered since 1965, and there are many who question how long its legitimacy will last without additional members that reflect twenty-first century realities. There is little agreement, however, as to which countries should accede to the Security Council or even by what formula aspirants should be judged. Reform advocates frequently call for equal representation for various regions of the world, but local competitors like India and Pakistan or Mexico and Brazil are unlikely to reach a compromise solution. Moreover, the UN Charter prescribes that regional parity should be, at most, a secondary issue; the ability to advocate and defend international peace and security should, it says, be the primary concern.The United States has remained largely silent as this debate has intensified over the past decade, choosing to voice general support for expansion without committing to specifics. (President Obama's recent call for India to become a permanent member of the Security Council was a notable exception.) In this Council Special Report, 2009?2010 International Affairs Fellow Kara C. McDonald and Senior Fellow Stewart M. Patrick argue that American reticence is ultimately unwise. Rather than merely observing the discussions on this issue, they believe that the United States should take the lead. To do so, they advocate a criteria-based process that will gauge aspirant countries on a variety of measures, including political stability, the capacity and willingness to act in defense of international security, the ability to negotiate and implement sometimes unpopular agreements, and the institutional wherewithal to participate in a demanding UNSC agenda. They further recommend that this process be initiated and implemented with early and regular input from Congress; detailed advice from relevant Executive agencies as to which countries should be considered and on what basis; careful, private negotiations in aspirant capitals; and the interim use of alternate multilateral forums such as the Group of Twenty (G20) to satisfy countries' immediate demands for broader participation and to produce evidence about their willingness and ability to participate constructively in the international system.The issues facing the world in the twenty-first century--climate change, terrorism, economic development, nonproliferation, and more--will demand a great deal of the multilateral system. The United States will have little to gain from the dilution or rejection of UNSC authority. In UN Security Council Enlargement and U.S. Interests, McDonald and Patrick outline sensible reforms to protect the efficiency and utility of the existing Security Council while expanding it to incorporate new global actors. Given the growing importance of regional powers and the myriad challenges facing the international system, their report provides a strong foundation for future action.

This volume comprehensively evaluates the current state and future reform prospects of the UN Security Council, providing the most accessible and rigorous treatment of the subject of reform to date. Apart from a couple of critical eyes in the academic community, few have asked the pertinent questions that this volume seeks to address: Will the enlargement of the Council constitute a reform? Could the inclusion of countries such as India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil markedly improve the Council’s agency? In response, this book focuses on: The Role and Agency of the UN Security Council The History of the Reform Debate An Expanded Council Working Method Reforms Enhancing Agency As the future of the UN Security Council continues to be the focus of fierce debate, this book will be essential reading for students of international relations, international organizations and international security studies alike.

This book places the discussion on reform of the Security Council membership in the context of its primary responsibility at the helm of the UN collective security system.

“Key Documents on the Reform of the UN Security Council 1991-2019” brings together primary source documents reflecting the political, legal and academic discussions about reform of the United Nations Security Council, in particular its membership and decision-making. The collection objectively reflects the various positions of all participants, including governments, UN bodies, universities and think tanks.

Document from the year 2023 in the subject Politics - Topic: Public International Law and Human Rights, grade: A plus, University of Delhi (Faculty of Law (Law Centre-1)), language: English, abstract: The main objective of the study is based on two issues: Whether the Composition and Veto Power of the Security Council need to be democratised or not? If it should be democratised, What extent it should be democratised?, Why it should be democratised?, and How it should be democratised? Why the founders of the Organization have given the permanent membership and veto power only to the five members in the Security Council? Why we need reform in the Composition and Veto Power of the Security Council in the Twenty First Century? Due to various changes in the Security Council as well as in the United Nations Organization (especially after the establishment), the Council proved to be insufficient in its representation and ineffective in its functioning. Hence, the assumption made and built the Security Council by the founders of the Organization was suitable only to the situations of 1945 but not to the contemporary world. Hence, the researcher work makes an attempt to study the Security Council reforms, particularly the provisions of Article 23 and 27 of the UN Charter. Further, the ‘Twenty First Century’ is the need of hour to bring the Council in a democratic way to strengthen its capacity and effectiveness for the present and future maintenance of international peace and security. At first, the research work would analyse the necessity behind the limited membership and the veto power of the permanent members in the Security Council under the UN. Further, the work will focus on the expectations of the founding fathers of the UN while conferring various powers and functions of the Security Council and the misuse or abuse of such powers and functions by the permanent members for their own sake. However, the research work will also focus on the expectations of the ‘Third World Countries’ to strengthen the Council’s capacity and effectiveness in the ‘Twenty First Century’ for the present and future maintenance of international peace and security. Moreover, the work also analyses the way in which the membership and the veto power of the Security Council shall reform and how can we bring the effective co-operation and secure the interest among the members of each regions of the world by reforming the Council. At last, the research work highlights the increasing number of UN Peacekeeping Operations and the necessity behind the attention of the Security Council in response to intra-state (i.e., internal) conflicts.

The United Nations Was Set Up At The End Of The Second World War, In 1945, To Replace The Ill-Fated League Of Nations. The United States, The United Kingdom, Russia (Former Ussr), France And China Are Permanent Members Of The Security Council, The Most Powerful Organ Of The United Nations. At That Time, The United States Was The Most Powerful Country Economically, Technologically And Militarily. It Has Been Playing A Dominant Role In All Decisions Taken By The United Nations And Its Affiliated Agencies. It Has Been Dominating Other Countries And Flouting The Rules And Provisions Of The United Nations. To Give A Concrete Example, The Grant Of Loans By The World Bank, Imf And Ifc Is Substantially Influenced By The United States, Instead Of Being Guided By Commercial And Financial Prudence. During The Last Six Decades, The Position Of The World Has Substantially Changed In Regard To The Economic, Military And Technological Power. This Has Necessitated The Redrawing Of The United Nations And Its Various Agencies. Unfortunately, This Is Being Strongly Resisted By The United States And Other Permanent Members Of The Security Council. The Volumes Include Viewpoints Of The Secretary-General As Well As All The Important Countries In Regard To The Reforms Of The United Nations. They Also Include A Large Number Of Documents Concerning These Reforms. A Detailed Bibliography Has Been Included To Enable The Inquisitive Readers To Pursue The Subject Further. The Volumes Would Be Found Highly Useful By The Students, Researchers And Teachers Of Political Science And Economics. They Would Also Be Useful For Executives And Parliamentarians Of All The Countries Concerned With The Working Of The United Nations And Its Agencies.

The aim of this study is not to explore all of the problems that arise today in security threats and conflict management, but to seek to understand the role of a particular institution--the Security Council--and the changes now affecting its modes of intervention and its interaction with international actors--great powers, regional organizations, non-state actors.