Saving the United Nations from the Shadow of The Great Hall of People - Perspectives from an Indo-Italian Dialogue

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Abstract

The future of global security, peace, and power balance is presently being shaped by conflicts and cooperation among major powers. China's rise on the international stage, as well as its growing dominance in the United Nations, poses a threat to US hegemony. The brief explores the evolution of the United Nations through the Cold War era so as to show how two superpowers acted beyond the UN's mandate and misused their Veto Power. After recounting history, we aim to explain how China's ascent poses a challenge to the United Nations as an ‘international organization,’ a dynamic which demands immediate reforms. We examine three related areas: the United Nations itself, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and the Veto Power mechanism. Finally, we make recommendations regarding which model would be the most effective in the twenty-first century. South Asia, the most populous region in the world is not represented on the UNSC, and so are not either Africa or South America. A new United Nations Security Council model that is more inclusive, fair, and logically based is proposed. In order to ensure an adequate functioning of such model, an inclusive yet simple decision-making process is suggested to replace the current Veto Power mechanism.