Sam Douds Blog Post 3 - On the Inadequacies of the UN

 On the Inadequacies of the UN

            The preamble of the founding charter of the United Nations (UN) establishes that the organization was assembled to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,” “establish… justice,” and “promote social progress” (un.org). While the UN does help maintain a positive international status quo, it is our responsibility as global citizens to recognize its shortcomings. In its ineffective governance of founding powers, fundamental inability to police the United States specifically, and disappointing climate change action, the United Nations has failed to live up to its base goals.

            The UN Security Council (UNSC) is the most obviously flawed UN mechanism. The UNSC is comprised of 15 members, five of which are permanent and possess veto power. * The other ten positions are filled every two years by states competing for a seat at the table. The permanent members’ veto powers allow them to effectively govern what the entirety of the UN can do in regards to international intervention. This system marginalizes the majority of member states and perpetuates both the militaristic and informal powers of the big five. One need look no further than Ukraine to understand why this is problematic. The invasion of sovereign Ukraine explicitly violates international law. Yet the primary international governing body cannot step in militarily because the aggressor holds veto power on its security council. The same is true of China’s persecution of its Uighur Muslim population. The Uighur genocide is a direct violation of international law, but the UN can do nothing about it because China holds veto power on the UNSC. The inability of the UN to respond to blatant Russian and Chinese violations of international law challenges each of the UN’s founding charter promises and should offend the consciences of people everywhere.

Recent transgressions aside, it is important to recognize that some of the most imperialistic states in history hold veto power on the Security Council. The US is not an exception to this trend. However, veto powers are just one example of the ways by which the UN cannot effectively police the United States. If the United States were to leave the UN, the international body would become practically impotent. With the departure of the US, the UN would lose a significant portion of its validity and trust, becoming a modern version of the League of Nations. Moreover, a scorned US would no longer contribute the 22% of the UN budget that it does today (Council on Foreign Relations). Governing the United States in the international setting with a firm hand is simply too costly. Both the UN and the US are keenly aware of that. This means that the US can take risks and bend the rules in ways that other states cannot (see the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani). The US’s perceived exemption to international norms flies in the face of UN charter goals and undermines at the very foundation of international justice.

In the broader sense, the UN was designed to be a conduit of cooperation. But in the face of the biggest crisis to ever confront mankind - climate change - it has continually failed. In fact, climate change was first brought to the attention of the UN in 1949, however action to deter it was “limited” (un.org). In more recent memory, the UN passed the Kyoto Protocol which was later succeeded by the Paris Agreement. While these agreements have set quality standards, one cannot help but to see them as slightly perfunctory. Signee adherence to the agreements is ambiguous and difficult to investigate. Even the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement at one point. Results have been positive but not nearly what is needed to successfully mitigate against the climate crisis. Following the 2021 climate conference in Glasgow, the UN’s very own Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published an article calling the meeting “another climate policy failure.” An uninhabitable planet certainly does not align with the UN’s charter and represents an additional example of the UN’s failures.

The UN’s lack of action in Ukraine has done nothing to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” The UN’s blind eye towards the Uighur genocide does nothing to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.” The UN’s inability to actually govern the US is not “justice.” The UN’s failure to accomplish substantive change on the issue of climate change does not “promote social progress.” The UN fulfills an important role in the international community; however, it is important that we recognize that it is not without fault. In its many shortcomings, the UN fails to live up the fundamental principles upon which it was founded.

 

*These permanent states are the United States, Russia, China, France, and England. These states received this distinguished position because of their roles in the founding of the UN.