United Nations Security Council

Definition

The United Nations Security Council is the principal organ of the United Nations responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is charged with the primary task of preventing and resolving conflicts between nations through diplomatic means and, if necessary, the use of force.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The United Nations Security Council is composed of 15 members, with 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
2. The Security Council has the power to make legally binding decisions and impose sanctions or authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
3. Decisions of the Security Council require the affirmative vote of at least 9 of the 15 members, including the concurring votes of the 5 permanent members, known as the 'veto power'.
4. The Security Council's primary responsibilities include the peaceful settlement of disputes, the determination of the existence of threats to peace, and the recommendation of measures to address such threats.
5. The Security Council's actions and decisions are guided by the principles of state sovereignty and non-interference in the domestic affairs of member states.

Review Questions

• Explain how the United Nations Security Council's role in maintaining international peace and security relates to the concept of state sovereignty.
  • The United Nations Security Council's responsibility to maintain international peace and security can sometimes come into tension with the principle of state sovereignty. While states have the supreme authority to govern themselves without external interference, the Security Council has the power to intervene in the domestic affairs of member states if it determines that a threat to international peace and security exists. This reflects the balance between respecting the sovereignty of nations and the collective need for global security and stability. The Security Council must carefully navigate this balance when deciding whether to take action, such as imposing sanctions or authorizing the use of force, against a member state.
• Describe how the veto power of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council can contribute to or undermine the anarchic nature of the international system.
  • The veto power held by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council can both contribute to and undermine the anarchic nature of the international system. On one hand, the veto power allows these influential states to protect their own interests and prevent the Security Council from taking action that they oppose, which can perpetuate the anarchic nature of the international system where states pursue their own self-interests. However, the existence of the veto power and the requirement for the concurring votes of the permanent members also provides a mechanism for these powerful states to collectively decide on and enforce decisions, which can serve to mitigate the anarchic tendencies of the international system. The interplay between the veto power and the need for consensus can create a tension between state sovereignty and collective security within the Security Council.
• Evaluate the extent to which the United Nations Security Council's system of collective security, where member states agree to defend each other from external aggression, challenges the concept of absolute state sovereignty.
  • The United Nations Security Council's system of collective security, where member states agree to defend each other from external aggression, represents a significant challenge to the concept of absolute state sovereignty. By entering into this collective security arrangement, states are willingly ceding a portion of their sovereign authority to the Security Council, which can make binding decisions and authorize the use of force against a member state if it is deemed a threat to international peace and security. This collective approach to security inherently limits the ability of individual states to act unilaterally and without regard for the interests of the broader international community. While states maintain their fundamental sovereignty, the collective security framework established by the Security Council creates a tension between the autonomy of states and the need for coordinated action to address global threats. This balance between state sovereignty and collective security is a central dynamic in the functioning of the United Nations and the Security Council.

Related terms

Sovereignty: The supreme authority within a territory, possessing the right to govern itself without external interference.

Anarchy: The absence of any central authority or hierarchical political organization in society.

Collective Security: A security arrangement in which states agree to collectively defend any member state from external aggression.