Author: Rafi Faishal Akbar
On the 28th of February, the U.N held an emergency special session regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the session resulted in the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2623. The resolution called for a condemnation of the attack and Kremlin must cease any advance in Ukraine. Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council vetoed the resolution, effectively stopping the resolution on its tracks. How does one vote block the resounding voice of the majority?
The United Nations Security Council is one of six organs of the U.N with a task of ensuring international peace and security. It consists of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members with two-year terms. The five permanent members are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China, essentially countries that won World War II. Russia and China being a successor state of Soviet Union and Republic of China respectively. Republic of China lost it status due to its defeat in the Chinese Civil War against the communist and dwindling recognition while Soviet Union lost its status for collapsing. These so-called big five are also the maintained the world’s powerful military. In Article 27 of the U.N Chapter it is stated that these permanent members have the right to veto a decision. Veto in Latin means “I forbid,” thus explaining the blocking of any resolutions to be made. The veto power has been the subject of controversy since the United Nations inception in 1945, with many small countries objecting to it. But the great powers pushed on and even stated that “Without the veto there will be no U.N,”.
Supporters of the veto rights argue that it is critical to ensure international stability and a check to human instinct of war. While critics argue that it is one of the most undemocratic part of U.N, the veto right is said to impede the task and duty of the U.N as it is seen to promote one of the big five national or international interest rather than protecting human lives. The Soviet Union in the first decade of U.N creation vetoed almost every western state admission in the U.N while USA vetoed every U.N resolution regarding Israel atrocities. The veto rights also blocked the U.N investigation in the Uyghur camp case.
There is no end in sight of the veto reforms, the permanent five instead promoted four nations to join them in the permanent seats. These countries are Brazil, India, Germany, and Japan known as G-4.
Author is Student at Brawijaya University
