Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Executive Summary//
diplomacy. Nations can no longer rely on the post-cold war geopolitical certainties anchored by
an arguably temperate United States, a harmonious greater Europe, or a cautious China. The
mandate of maintaining relative peace between states is under threat. It is high time for the
United Nations to stand as the champion and guarantor of liberty. The following document will
serve to implore the Special Panel to take control of the Security Council with a two tiered
reform aimed at forging a rational regulatory structure free of post-cold war power dynamics and
the vestiges of colonial thought, whose decisions are to be informed by a commission of experts
spanning all relevant fields of subject matter. The reformed Security Council (herein referred to
as the Concert) will not at all resemble the structure it replaces. Instead, the new commission will
serve as an edifice from which to pursue and maintain world peace. In the words of author
Cordwainer Smith, the Concert shall adopt the slogan: 'Watch, but do not govern; stop war, but
Organizational Overview//
The UNSC P5, in its current state, totally dominates and runs the council. This is why
the composition of the members matters so much: if they do not reflect the great powers of
today, the Council will increasingly make flawed decisions, as it has begun to do (Mahbubani,
2016 pg. 158). In an effort to remain relevant the face of a globalized economic order, the
Concert must reflect the emergence of advanced economies and regional powerbrokers outside
of the northern hemisphere. Opening membership of the P5 to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,
China, South Africa) nations is a logical step as China and Russia already maintain seats on the
council and the remainder are consummate examples of the qualities outlined above, with one
exception. South Africas dubious past as an imperialist apartheid state disqualifies it from such
from the secretariat of the African Union. The African Union delegation would serve as the
surrogate voice of an African nation state as currently no countries on the continent maintain the
territorial integrity, human rights record, or sufficiently sized economy to bear the responsibility.
Additionally, Turkey would receive a seat due to its position as the preeminent power in
the near and middle east. (Saudi Arabia is not fit for the position due to human rights abuses and
the tactics utilized during the Yemen civil war.) France and the United Kingdom would lose their
positions, to be replaced by a single seat embodying the European Union (likely to Britains
chagrin), much like the arrangement regarding the African Union. The irrelevance of the UK and
France on the current P5 is evidenced by their diminished economic prowess and military
capabilities- culminating in their implicit acknowledgement that they have no legitimacy to use
The Concert must have a wider membership than the P5 not only to reflect the real world
balance of power but to safeguard against roadblocks. When there is P5 consensus, action can
be taken when the Council is divided, the result is stasis (Karns, et al., 2015 pg. 129). Such
stasis is evidenced by the carnage of the Syrian Civil War and the injustice of Russias
annexation of Crimea. The vetos and abstentions that essentially allowed these atrocities and
baseless aggressions to go unchecked is not only indicative of the current Councils impotency
but a violation of the UN Charter. The principle that all member states shall refrain from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or independence of any state (Karns, et al.,
2015 pg. 110) has been repeatedly ignored by members of the security council to protect their
own interests or simply the status quo. Since merely adding more nations to the Concert will
simply widen representation and not fix the veto issue, an important feature of the new system
will be the abolition of veto power and the adoption of a consensus approach to resolutions. A
shift towards majority voting precludes reflect[ing] the interests of all the powerful actors
involved but rather the interests of a majority of these actors (Rittberger, 2006 pg. 89),
preventing important resolutions from being hindered by misguided elements of the Concert.
superseded by a body of subject matter experts drawn from all nations comprising the UN and
voted on by the General Assembly. Representatives from the disciplines of medicine, finance,
human rights, sociology, military strategy, environmental science, and many more (as needed)
shall form an auxiliary secretariat to inform the Concert of situational facts and best courses of
action when crises occur. The purpose of this Informative Assembly shall be to provide
transparent and factual assessments in an effort to coerce the constituent nations of the Concert
to vote in accordance with the most rational choice. In organizations whose decisions are
governed by rational choice, decisions do not merely reflect the interests of the most powerful
actors within the [whole], but the interests of the organization itself (Rittberger, 2006 pg. 88).
Such an arrangement shall ensure the effectiveness of the Concert and reaffirm its commitment
to the UN Charter.
Difficulties in Implementation//
According to Karns, et al. (2015, pg. 156), the United States supplies 22 percent of the
UNs budget and will likely threaten to withdraw funding if the Concert were to be instituted.
Such a loss of financing would be certain to paralyze the UN. However, it is important to note
that Japan and Germany contribute the second and third highest amount in dues, at 12.2 and 7.1
respectively (Karns, et al. 2015, pg. 156). The two countries are not members of the current P5
and would likely continue contributing the same amount even if the U.S. threatens to withdraw
support. It is worth noting that President Trump is already entertaining a funding cut as a mere
consequence of his entering office (Borger, 2017). In light of these threats, the UN ought to
proceed with making the changes necessary to serve as a check to unbridled aggression on an
international scale. With better integration and cooperation among Concert representatives, the
ratification of economic sanctions in response to rogue, unilateral actions like those proposed by
Conclusion//
elected, as the UN is increasingly becoming a last resort for diplomacy. The creation of the
Concert system shall ensure increased efficacy of issued resolutions due to its inclusive nature
1. Borger, Julian. "UN Funding: Alarm at Reports Trump Will Order Sweeping Cuts." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.
2. Karns, Margaret P., Karen A. Mingst, and Kendall W. Stiles. "Chapter 4: The UN - The
The Politics and Processes of Global Governance. Boulder CO: LYNNE RIENNER,
2015. Print.
3. Karns, Margaret P., Karen A. Mingst, and Kendall W. Stiles. "Chapter 5: UN Financing."
4. Mahbubani, Kishore. "Council Reform and Emerging Powers." The UN Security Council
5. Rittberger, Volker, and Bernhard Zangl. International Organization: Polity, Politics and