The United Nations (UN), formed during WWII and chartered in June,1945, is made up of six branches; the most important of which is the Security Council. It is currently composed of fifteen members, five permanent and ten elected by the General Assembly for a three-year period. The purpose of the UN is to provide of all the nations of the world a table where disputes and difficulties could be worked out peacefully. All members have one vote in the General Assembly and are, therefore, considered equal.
The Security Council holds important responsibility in determining if an international situation is serious enough to consider action. If necessary, it determines whether economic sanctions should be used against an abusive regime and/or if UN policing authority is necessary to stabilize the area. It is also responsible for recommending the appointment of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly when an opening occurs. It, with the General Assembly, elect judges to the International World Court of Justice. All of these are demanding responsibilities.
It is currently composed of fifteen members, five permanent and ten elected by the General Assembly for a three-year period. The five permanent members are the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia and China—all allies during WWII.
There are two unique features to the permanent seats, these five countries are always there, not elected but assigned by the UN Charter. The permanent members each have an “absolute veto.” The absolute veto stops all further discussion on a specific measure. For instance, if the UN wanted to criticize China for its civil rights policy, which it did several years ago, China could simply lay an absolute veto on that document, which it did. There will never be such a criticism as long as China holds the absolute veto.
These five special seats in an organization that argues for equality of all countries seems an oxymoron? When the UN Charter was being discussed, principally by the United States and Great Britain, but including all free governments, it was important all countries participate.
Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) was concerned that the American people would not join. Americans had refused to join the League of Nations because of concern that a majority of members could impose an action not desired by the U.S. national policy or public. By having a permanent seat with an absolute veto, the U.S. could stop any action that could have opposed American policy. This satisfied those concerns. The U.S. joined the United Nations.
There was a proposal by Bill Clinton, in the 1992 presidential campaign, to force Britain and France out of the Security Council’s permanent status and give those seats to Germany and Japan, major leaders in the world economy. To do so meant Britain and France had to vote agreement to that change. Since it was assumed they would use their absolute veto to stop the effort, and since the WWII generation, who suffered atrocities under German and Japanese control during WWII, were infuriated that such honor would be granted them, the effort wilted.
Is the unique power of these nations with permanent seats fair in the UN’s atmosphere of equality? No, but who ever said life was fair?
-Janet Newlan Bower
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Sources:
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. Vol. Two, Third Edition. W.W. Norton and Company: New York 2010, 943, 958
“Peacekeeping and Related Stability Operations: Issues of U.S. Military Involvement.” The Navy Department Library, 2006.
“United Nations Security Council [Functions and Powers].“ http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/functions.shtml
“United Nations Security Council [the Security Council]” http://www.un.org/en/sc
“United Nations Security Council [Structure]”. http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/structure.shtml
Copyright 2014 Janet Newlan Bower
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