Towards Collective Security

Topic 3

The United Nations System

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Europe 1815

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Europe 1870

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Europe 1871 (serious)

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Europe 1919

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Europe 1956

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Collective Security for a Nuclear Age: Basic Questions

• How and what did the victorious allies learn from history?

• How was the UN system as designed in 1945 similar to and different from the League’s approach to collective security?

• How was the UN Security Council similar to and different from the League Council?

The road to the San Francisco Peace Conference 1945

• UN: already in operation during WWII

• Preparatory conference at Dumbarton Oaks 1944

• San Francisco: only initial allies invited– USSR – Kuomintang tensions– France included

• Yalta meeting of P3 – February 1945

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San Francisco Treaty: UN principles

• Governance structure resembles League

• Security Council: 5 permanent members, 6 rotating members

• UNSC permanent members’ (P5) veto

• Collective enforcement of Security Council decisions: Chapter VII

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Security Council tools

• Peace operations

• Military enforcement

• Sanctions, embargoes, other diplomatic instruments

• Enlisting and empowering partner organizations

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Peace operations

• Conflict prevention and peacemaking

• Peacekeeping

• Peace-building

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Military enforcement

• Veto power of the permanent SC members

• Restriction on use/threat of force

• Chapter VII and Article 51

• ‘Uniting For Peace’ General Assembly resolution - coalitions of the willing?

Chapter VII enforcement• Art. 39: The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to

the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Arts. 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.

• Art. 41: The SC may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members …to apply such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations.

• Art. 42: Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations.

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Ch. VII: collective security vs. self-defence

Art. 43: All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make available to the Security Council, on its call and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, armed forces, assistance, and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.

Art. 51: Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.

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Sanctions, embargoes and diplomacy

• The Cold War years

• Post-Cold War sanctions and embargoes

• Post-Cold War diplomacy

• Adverse consequences of sanctions

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Enlisting and empowering partners

• What are the Security Council’s limitations?

• Partners:– General Assembly – Uniting For Peace Res.– ECOSOC, Peacebuilding Commission– International Court of Justice– Regional bodies: NATO, EU, AU, etc. – Non-state actors: CSOs, eminent persons, etc.