How Should the United Nations Security Council Respond to Changing Balance of Power?

Abstract

Together with the United Nations achievements comes constant criticism. The Security Council, as one of the core organs of the UN, has been a center of contention. The lack of practical responses to the Ukraine crisis since 2014 invokes another round of skepticism about the Councils functionality and demand for reform. This paper does not consider the current dilemma exceptional. In contrast, this is merely another example that illustrates the Councils increasing incapability when encountering the changing balance of power. Therefore, this paper claims the Council needs a robust reform to re-adapt to the grand trend. The first part briefly introduces the Councils history to illustrate some possible fundamental issues in the Council. The second part analyzes the Councils contemporary dilemmas when encountering crises involving great powers, such as Ukraine. Finally, the paper evaluates the existing plans for reform and proposes a new direction for consideration. Even though the Council has been suffering from weakness recently, it is unlikely that the world can completely abandon it soon before finding a more appropriate replacement. Therefore, this papers work is an initiating framework for future reform. But more research and discussion are necessary for a more elaborate scheme for practice.