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united nation security council essay
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that was established to enhance international co-operation. One of its key principal organs is the Security Council that is mainly concerned with decisions and resolutions for peace and security. It is charged with maintaining peace and security among countries and has the power to make biding decisions that member states have agreed to carry out under the terms of charter article 25. The Security Council is made up of 15 member states; consisting 5 permanent members and 10 non members. It is only the permanent members who have the veto powers over UN resolutions. Australia, a temporally member, was elected to serve a two year term in the UN Security Council from 2013. Its election seemed to indicate a new era of international influence.
Currently Australia is serving its two year term in the UN Security Council. Its performance in that position can be evaluated from their past actions in the past one year they have been in power. From my point of view Australia has not proven to be ill-equipped in making contributions in the UN Security Council. In the past one year Australia and other Security Council members have had several issues to deal with especially the recent crisis in Egypt, Ukraine and Syria just to name a few. Australia’s experience during its first year on the Security Council can be considered to prove that it is not actually ill-equipped and that it is acting in means aimed at achieving the aims of the UN Charter.
Australia in the United Security Council has shown in its commitments in enhancing the adherence of the international law to ensure there is no conflict and ensuring peace is maintained. This is evident from its continued support for the Internation...
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...an laws to implement United Nations Security Council sanction policies. It has also held in building UN’s capacity to control terrorism in all ways in line to the Charter. The Australian government has identified key elements to deal with international terrorism. It has advocated for multilateral and regional engagement where issues relevant to maintaining security are addressed.
All the same it has also been noted that Australia has a small weakness in its current position in the Security Council in that it has been used as a puppet by certain member nation especially in making security decisions. Compared to its other roles it has played in the Security Council that is just small loophole that should be closed. From the above illustrations, it is evident that Australia has all capabilities to meet the objectives of the UN Security Council in line with the Charter.
There is a high degree of complexity in this question. Should Australia, as a mature nation, be taking part in moral issues around the world even though they are not happening on our doorstep? Do we ignore the deaths in Bosnia, the starving millions in Biafra and Ethiopia, the worldwide environmental issues raised by Greenpeace? What is the purpose of developing alliances, both economic and military, with other countries? At stake, in all of these issues, is our desire for a better world to live in.
For the past several months the United Nations’ Security Council has debated on whether or not to accept the U.S. proposal to force Iraq to comply the new and former resolutions. The new resolution calls for complete disarmament of Iraq and the re-entrance of weapons inspectors into Iraq. If Iraq fails to comply, then military force would be taken in order to disarm Iraq. This proposal met opposition from council members Russia, China, and France. They thought that the U.S. proposal was too aggressive and that the U.S. should not act alone without U.N. approval. For weeks they refused to believe that the only way to make Iraq disarm is through the threat of force and the fear of being wiped out.
A more recent foreign policy priority is the promotion of the nation as an active and responsible global citizen. Success in this area is measured by our response to human rights, terrorism, third world debt, and drug issues. Australia already has a well deserved international reputation because of the work of previous foreign ministers, e.g Bill Hayden and Gareth Evans on human rights.
The United Nations employs a far steadier structure, with greater regulatory power and territoriality. That being said, this organization is not without its faults. It’s continuously bogged down to the point of inefficiency by bureaucracy and the extensive number of participants. With some mild reorganization, the U.N
In the formative years, the UN faced complications resulting from the cold war and the related allies but later increased the enforcement of their mandate as they gained additional member states. In order to maintain good working relations with all member states, the UN charter also outlines the rights and responsibilities of members states to each other and to the organization. The organization is based on a principle of the sovereign equality of all members and requiring members to perform their obligations as per the charter. Another one of the rules as per Article 2 of the UN charter is that all members settle their international disputes through peaceful means to maintain international security, peace, and justice (Anan & Unies, 2000). All members are also required to refrain from the use of force against the political and territorial integrity of a state. Additionally, in order to prevent nations meddling in the affairs of another without proper authorization, the UN mandate does not authorize the organization to intervene in situations where the domestic state can resolve the
There are many laws that helped establish the Department of Homeland Security, however, there are three primary laws. These are the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296), the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-132). Each of these laws plays a key part in the Department of Homeland Security.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is dependent upon ratification from states that are willing to give up their own jurisdiction in order to have a stronger enforcement of international crimes. Without support from major states, the ICC will continue to struggle in following through with its promise to promote its main purposes, “justice, peace, and stability” (Simmons, 226). The International Criminal Court has many merits, but also has many weaknesses, but based on the provided articles, I personally believe that the International Criminal Court is an organization worthy of my support.
5. The UN can be so ineffective because they do not have the power they would like to have. The United Nations have no power under the current charter to simply waltz into a countries disputes with out any permission being granted. Both countries must invite the UN in, but the Security Council must also agree with this as well. The countries involved in the Security Council must also provide the necessary manpower quickly. This takes time and hinders the UN’s power.
However, as the nature of conflict changes and the international system edges towards a global society based on interdependence, some argue that this traditional notion must be updated. Tony Blair, for example, called for sovereignty to be “reconceptualised” (Bellamy, 2009; p.25). This is most likely due to the rise of humanitarian crises and the UN’s growing role in intervention. With global media coverage, it is harder for governments to ignore the will of the people, and public pressure to intervene in said crises. Therefore, humanitarian intervention is being viewed more as a responsibility than an option. The current system cannot effectively deal with this, as the debates over the violation of traditional sovereignty slow the process. As Lu says (2006; p. 81) “Critical opportunities to engage in preventive and non military actions, before a crisis explodes or escalates to the level of mass atrocity, are missed when the concepts of intervention and the use of force are conflated”. The problem of sovereignty blocks the UN from completing its mandate of “maintaining international peace and security”. Moreover, Kofi Annan points out that state sovereignty must not replace human rights: “the Charter protects the sovereignty of peoples… Sovereignty implies responsibility, not just power.” (Bellamy 2009; p. 28) Again we are reminded that governments should be
Public International Law is known to be a set of rules and norms generated and set by sources that are ought to be read, accepted, recognised, and signed by all states, and used as a boundary between these states. This essay will analyse the different sources of Public International Law, and identify their strengths and weaknesses, and how they differ from the sources of Law made and implemented in Australia’s law system. Sources of law are basically the origin or authority by which rules and legal force is derived and implemented or enforced.
The United Nations is an international body where many states are represented, and it can take action as a body on many different issues. For example, North Korea is a communist state that is currently experimenting with and trying to develop nuclear weaponry. This is an action highly condemned
Blay, S., Piotrowicz, R., and Martin, B. (1997). Public international law : an Australian perspective. Melbourne: Oxford University Press
United Nations Association of Australia – About Us, 2012. About Us - United Nations Association of Australia, [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.unaa.org.au/about-us/. [Accessed 17 March 2014].
In conclusion The Economic and Social Council plays a key role in coordinating the expansive UN system. Although the work of the Council is not widely known on the world stage, due to its general mandate and deliberative nature, membership is highly required after, as it is the UN’s premier platform on economic and social issues. ECOSOC more important functions are to serve as the central forum for discussions on international economic and social issues, promote higher standards of living, full employment and economic and social progress, encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, make or introduce studies and reports with respect to international economic and social matters make arrangements for consultations with non-governmental
The United Nations has made many achievements since the agreement made in 1945. The efforts of the UN helped end the apartheid in South Africa allowing the citizens of South Africa equal participation in the Elections of April 1994 followed by a consensus in choosing a form of government. 90 percent of children in developing countries attend school and 60 percent of adults in these countries can read and write thanks to the UN and the struggle to improve education in developing countries. Over 300 international treaties have been created through United Nations efforts to strengthen international law. These achievements and many others encourage people like myself to promote and praise the United Nations.