The UN Security Council, a Blight on the United Nations

For over 50 years now, the United Nations has consolidated nearly all its power in one organization, the UN Security Council, and its five “permanent” members, the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK. In addition to holding permanent status on the powerful board, they also hold the often-abused “veto” to remove any resolution that threatens their interests. The UN Security Council must remove its permanent member status and remove the veto from all its members if it is to be respected as a world organization.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council all represent the victorious powers of WWII; it’s no coincidence that Germany and Japan are absent. The fact that the permanent members happened to be on the winners’ side is an unfair and unjust criterion for deciding who gets such a great power. In addition, the veto power gives these five nations humongous power and influence. Many resolutions that question evil actions are often shot-down because criticism would be counter to the permanent member nation’s interests.

A prime example of this is Israel. Despite the fact that it has committed abuses to the Palestinians and its own citizens, it continues to get away with its crimes no doubt due to the influence the US has on the UN Security Council. Indeed, since 1990, the US has made more vetoes than all of the other permanent member nations, many of these involving Israel. Such abuse and misuse of power can only be removed by the removal of said power itself.

The UN professes to be an international organization set up to defend the interests of all nations. But the UN Security Council, with its permanent members and the veto, is clearly at odds with its professed “ideals.” Only reform of the UN Security Council will enable the UN to pursue its noble and praiseworthy goals.