The article considers the trends towards the marginalization of the Security Council which are currently emerging in the UN system of collective security. As symptoms of such marginalization, one may refer to the structural problems affecting the efficacy of the Security Council action in the field of the maintenance of international peace and security – such as the overexploitation of the provisions of Chapter VII, or the question of fairness and transparency of the régime of targeted sanctions – as well as to the concerns expressed by UN member States during the Security Council debates on thematic issues. Such concerns also touch upon the procedures governing the functioning of the Security Council, whose incapacity to intervene effectively in international crisis is often due to the right of veto of its permanent members. Three recent instances of exercise of the right of veto considered in the article confirm the above concerns and contribute to make the question of the reform of the Security Council inescapable. The reform of the Security Council, however, involves not only questions of procedure, but also of substance, among which prominent is the role of the Security Council in enforcing key notions of modern international law, like the responsibility to protect. To answer such critical questions is therefore of essence for avoiding the risks of marginalization of the Security Council
Arcari, M. (2015). De la marginalisation du Conseil de sécurité. PAIX ET SÉCURITÉ EUROPÉENNE ET INTERNATIONALE, 2, 1-11.
De la marginalisation du Conseil de sécurité
ARCARI, MAURIZIO
2015
Abstract
The article considers the trends towards the marginalization of the Security Council which are currently emerging in the UN system of collective security. As symptoms of such marginalization, one may refer to the structural problems affecting the efficacy of the Security Council action in the field of the maintenance of international peace and security – such as the overexploitation of the provisions of Chapter VII, or the question of fairness and transparency of the régime of targeted sanctions – as well as to the concerns expressed by UN member States during the Security Council debates on thematic issues. Such concerns also touch upon the procedures governing the functioning of the Security Council, whose incapacity to intervene effectively in international crisis is often due to the right of veto of its permanent members. Three recent instances of exercise of the right of veto considered in the article confirm the above concerns and contribute to make the question of the reform of the Security Council inescapable. The reform of the Security Council, however, involves not only questions of procedure, but also of substance, among which prominent is the role of the Security Council in enforcing key notions of modern international law, like the responsibility to protect. To answer such critical questions is therefore of essence for avoiding the risks of marginalization of the Security CouncilI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.