Reform of the UN Security Council and the Non-Aligned States

Abstract

This article analyses the positions that the non‐aligned states hold on the basic issues of Security Council reform. It is argued that the demands of the non‐aligned states for changes in the Security Council would, if ever satisfied, have a harmful effect on the work and the functioning of the UN's most powerful body. The claims of the non‐aligned states for restricting the use of veto and increasing the size of the Council as well as their claim for changes in its working methods are unacceptable to the current permanent members. The article suggests that the non‐aligned states, in order to be more effective in the ongoing debate on Council reform, should compromise their stance and bring it more into line with that of the current permanent members.