United Nations Security Council

Powers

1) Establishment of peacekeeping operations— Recommend procedures for peacefulresolution of a dispute (Considered to not be binding, as they lack an enforcement mechanism) 2) Establishment of international sanctions 3) Authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states (the legal basis for UN armed action in Korea in 1950 during the Korean War and the use of coalition forces in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991 and Libya in 2011) 4) Call upon other member nations to completely or partially interrupt economic relations as well as sea, air, postal, and radio communications, or to sever diplomatic relations 5) Enforce its decisions militarily, or by any means necessary; to take action to protect civilians in an armed conflict, including taking action against genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity 6) Authority to refer cases to the Court in which the Court could not otherwise exercise jurisdiction (In 2011, asked the ICC to investigate the Libyan government's violent response to the Libyan Civil War)

Responsibilities

1) Maintenance of international peace and security 2) Accepting new members to the United Nations 3) Approving any changes to its United Nations Charter

Primary causes of India's mixed record can be traced back to three factors

1) Unavailability of resources: a. MEA needs to expand (India needs more and better-supported personnel to meet its international aspirations) b. The "software" of India's foreign policy, that is, the intellectual and institutional infrastructure required to engage productively in international affairs, is woefully inadequate. (Not a single Indian think tank features among one ranking of the world's top 30 think tanks) 2) Insufficient engagement with varying normative perspectives on UNSC issues— Inability to come up with a clear and compelling narrative on why it was taking the stances that it did and what were the underlying considerations behind its responses to various issues (tendency to focus on the merits of each case without any heed to broader global patterns, underlying normative contestation, or the intellectual currents in other capitals of the world) 3) An over-reliance on entitlement as the foundation of India's claims to a permanent seat

Members of the Security Council

193 member states, more than 30 affiliated organisations, and a 40,000-strong staff Five permanent members: The U.K., the U.S., Russia, China, and France—can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General 10 non-permanent members: Elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms

Let's get to know the UNSC

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations; created following World War II to address the failings of another international organization, the League of Nations, in maintaining world peace.

Historically

India - then still under British rule - was among the 51 original members of the UN when the organisation was formed in 1945. 1948: First tryst with the UNSC occurred over Kashmir, following an invasion by tribal forces backed by the Pakistani military. Pt. Nehru referred the matter to the UNSC, but was disappointed, particularly by the western powers, which treated the matter more as a dispute between two states rather than the invasion of one's territory by the other Cold War Years: Following the war, India played an active role in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war and refugees, consolidating its reputation as a champion of peaceful conflict resolution in the UN, variously contributing troops, senior officials, military observers and humanitarian assistance to a diverse set of UN operations in west Asia, Africa and Asia.

Post 1991

India began voicing a demand for greater representation in international organisations based on its national capabilities and contributions to the UN system since its inception; which translated into a demand for permanent membership at the UNSC. 1998: India shook the global stage with a series of nuclear tests. International reaction was sharply negative but short-lived - instead of opprobrium, India earned recognition from the great powers for its emerging status as a rising power to be reckoned with(Mohan 2003)— but the recognition was buoyed by the rapid economic growth that post-1991 economic reforms had generated Responsible leadership witnessed (2011-12): India counselled restraint on the question of military intervention, emphasising the importance of undertaking well-planned and adequately resourced UN missions, it upheld its role as a guardian of the UN Charter and its goals. Also, the Indian mission to the UN highlighted—the need for concerted UN action on— Global terrorism and piracy, two key threats to India's security and commercial interests.

India

One of the biggest diplomatic challenges is to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, even though... 1) Second largest population (connect it with the demographic dividend) 2) One of the largest economy in terms of PPP 3) Leading IT power 4) Largest troop contributor to UN Peace Keeping operations 5) Image of a peace loving nation which produced the likes of Buddha and Gandhi

Views

The United Nations is often at odds with contemporary reality, because it has not, at its core, shifted from the international power structure of 1945 and thus, it is imperative to undertake further expansion of this body to reflect the current global dynamics and to give equitable representation to different geographical regions in the world. Global peace and security architecture cannot continue to remain based on the supremacy of those allied powers

India's Strategy

a. India should considerably contribute greater resources, to middle and smaller powers in the UN (Middle East) b. MEA needs to engage in a wider public dialogue on what India's positions should be on key aspects of international issues today, including sovereignty, intervention and the use of force, both domestically and internationally (esp. when India is faced with major internal and regional security challenges) c. India should engage in coalition building with other rising powers as investing in relationships could bolster its international profile—increasing its influence and footprint within the international system