The UN Security Council Members: Advantages of Expansion - Essay Example

The UN Security Council Permanent Members: The Case for Expansion or Replacement Student’s Name Institution Tutor’s Name Course Date The UN Security Council Permanent Members: The Case for Expansion or Replacement Introduction The United Nation Security Council (UNSC) is the most powerful organ of the United Nations (UN). The UNSC functions through its board of directors and is responsible for addressing security issues that affect the 193 members of this organization. The UNSC has the power to order for peacekeeping missions in any of its member countries that happens to have security problems (Hassler 2013, p. 11). The UNSC is constituted by 15 members, 5 of which are permanent, while the remaining are non-permanent members that are elected on two-year terms (Hassler 2013, p. 40). Currently, there is a proposal of increasing the number of permanent members to make the UNSC more effective. Some of the existing permanent members are opposed to this proposal, while others agree to it. This paper discusses the proposal to expand the UNSC permanent membership and the factors that may bar the proposal from sailing through. UNSC Composition The UNSC consists of 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members, where the 5 permanent ones include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. The five permanent UNSC members were not selected by chance; they were the main victors in the World War II, a battle that left great economic destruction to many countries. The permanent membership is seen to represent the winning global powers in the world (Malik 2005, p. 19). The non-permanent members include: Argentina, Togo, Azerbaijan, Rwanda, Australia, Republic of Korea, Guatemala, Pakistan, Luxemburg, and Morocco. The non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly in consultation with the UNSC permanent members (Malik 2005, p. 22). The non-permanent members comprise of two members drawn from the UN five regional integrations, which include: Latin America and the Caribbean group, the Asian group, the African group, the Eastern European group, and the Western European and others group. The non-permanent members are supposed to serve in the council for a term of two years (Hassler 2013, p. 51). Proposed Expansion of UNSC Permanent Membership The proposed change to increase the number of the UNSC permanent members is one of the major reforms that would arguably enhance the legality and effectiveness of the council. The nations that are often proposed to be included as new permanent members include: Japan, Germany, Brazil, and India. The four proposed countries are collectively known as G4 nations and their admission into the UNSC as permanent members is significantly supported by some of the current UNSC permanent members, such as Russia and France (Malik 2005, p. 21). There are several reasons explaining why each of the G4 nations is seen as worth it to join the team of UNSC permanent members. For instance, Japan is seen as one of the best candidates because of its enormous contribution to the UN’s regular budget. Japan makes the second largest contribution to the UN’s budget after the United States. Japan’s candidature for a UNSC permanent seat is supported by China, the United States and a number of Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and the G4 nations (Hassler 2013, p. 141). Germany, just like Japan, is seen as an appropriate candidate because of its contribution to the regular budgets of the UN. Germany makes the third largest contribution to the UN’s regular budgets after the United States and Japan. Germany also has a long-term experience with UNSC after being elected as a non-member close to six times. The countries that support Germany’s candidature for a UNSC permanent seat are the UK, France and the G4 nations (Hassler 2013, p. 144). Brazil is also seen as one of the most appropriate nations to join the team of the UNSC permanent members because of the regular contributions the country makes to the UN. For instance, Brazil has, on several occasions, contributed soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions in places, such as Congo, Angola, Haiti, Belgium, and Cyprus. Another reason for the support of Brazil’s candidature is the fact that it falls among the world’s four largest nations in terms of GDP, population, and physical size (Castaneda 2010, p. 109). Brazil is supported by the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and other countries such as Finland, Chile, Slovenia, South Africa, Indonesia, and the G4 nations (Hassler 2013, p. 138). The last proposed country, India, is considered a good candidate because of its regular commitment to UN peacekeeping missions. India is currently considered one of the top three largest regular contributors of soldiers to UN Peacekeeping missions. India is the second most populated country in the world. The country is also praised for being the world’s largest liberal democratic republic. India’s candidature is supported by four permanent UNSC members: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and France. India is also supported by the G4 nations and other countries around the globe (Hassler 2013, p. 138). Reasons for the Expansion The proponents of the UNSC permanent membership expansion have a number of arguments that they use to support their stance. Firstly, the proponents argue that the UN members have so far increased to about 193 members without a corresponding increase in the size of the UNSC. The proponents maintain that the size of the UNSC, especially the permanent membership, should be increased to reflect the current size of the UN membership. It is argued that the current UNSC permanent members do not adequately represent all the regional groups that form the United Nations (Malik 2005, p. 134). Secondly, the proponents feel that the current size of the UNSC permanent members makes the council seen as ineffective and illegitimate. It is argued that the UNSC is poorly represented, especially in the developing nations. The council has been accused to exclude nations, such as Japan and South Africa, which could enormously contribute to the maintenance of peace and security in the developing nations. The council can enhance its ability to ensure that as many countries as possible comply with its resolutions and guidance if it admits new permanent members from regions, such as Asia and Africa, which are currently underrepresented (Malik 2005, p. 27). Reasons Against the Expansion The opponents, just like the proponents, have a number of reasons that they cite against the expansion proposal. Firstly, the opponents argue that the current UNSC permanent members have adequate geopolitical and military representation. The opponents explain that enlarging the size of the UNSC would not only dilute the state of United States as the superpower, but also create the aspect of lowest-common-denominator. The opponents feel that the UNSC permanent member seats were created for the victors of World War II, and it should be left that way (Castaneda 2010, p. 113). Secondly, some opponents argue that allowing the G4 nations to join the UNSC as permanent members would certainly trigger an endless fight for more geographical representation in the council. There is a high probability that if the four countries are admitted into the council as permanent members, other nations such as South Korea, Canada, and South Africa among others, may want to be included in the same capacity to enable them to represent Asian, South American, and African regions respectively (Castaneda 2010, p. 114). Lastly, the fact that none of the proposed countries is supported by all the five UNSC permanent members implies that the proposed expansions may not sail through at all. According to the UNSC policy, any change that is to be made onto the Council must be supported by all the five permanent members; a no-vote from at least one permanent member thwarts the discussion. Among the 4 proposed countries to join the UNSC as permanent members, only India is supported by 4 permanent members; which means that none of the proposed countries can join the Council (Castaneda 2010, p. 117). Conclusion The United Nation Security Council (UNSC) is one of the most powerful bodies of the United Nations. The main role of the council is to maintain peace and security in the world. The council comprises of 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent ones. Any change or decision made within the council is supposed to be supported by all the 5 permanent members. Currently, there is a proposal to increase the number of UNSC permanent members, with Japan, Germany, Brazil, and India being seen as the best candidates for the new permanent members’ seats. The proposal is meant to enhance the UNSC’s effectiveness and geographical representation. However, the proposal may not be implemented at any time soon given the fact that none of the candidates is supported by all the five permanent members of the council. References Castaneda, JG 2010, ‘Not for ready for prime time: why including emerging powers at the helm would hurt the global governance’, Foreign Affairs, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. 109-122. Hassler, S 2013, Reforming the UN Security Council membership, Routledge, New York, NY. Malik, JM 2005, ‘Security Council reform: China signals its veto’, World Policy Journal, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 19-29. Read More