Comments. UN General Assembly Agrees to Negotiate Text on UN Security Council Reform

Abstract

1. Broadly, there are two areas of negotiations in the IGN (the Intergovernmental Negotiations) the acronym for the open-ended Security Council reform process since 2008 – one on expansion of the membership of the UN Security Council from 15 members to 22-27 members. The second is euphemistically called ‘working methods’ of the Security Council. The first area – expansion – is the most politically explosive – for several so-called emerging powers are seeking new Permanent seats like the existing five permanent members received in 1945 (P5) – the emerging power seekers are the G 4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany), the AU demands 2 African seats. Officially, all of these governments are calling also for the right of veto. Expansion of the Security Council is a Charter amendment and requires 2/3 vote of the GA and 2/3 ratification by parliaments/governments, including all five existing permanent members. Since the P5 are not likely to all agree to any new single permanent member or group of four to six permanent members, and since the P5 are NOT going to agree to giving the veto to any new member – this is why the 23 years of no progress could become 123 years. Not only do existing P5 oppose new permanent members, it is clear many if not most governments in each UN region do not agree to anoint one or two [emerging] powers in their region to be permanent members – i.e. hegemons. So Japan is opposed by South Korea and many Asia states and China; Germany opposed by Italy, Spain, Canada and many others in the Western region; India opposed by Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia; Brazil opposed by Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, etc.; South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt opposed by many African governments. Thus, the 23year stand-off is not surprising.