Job reminder for the 'permanent five'The United Nations Security Council meets about the situation in Syria at the UN Headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, on Feb 28, 2020. The maintaining of international peace, security, and prosperity falls under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council, which is comprised of five permanent members, the victors of World War II, and 10 non-permanent members on a rotating basis. Although the Security Council has 15 members, in practice, it is a council of five, as the five permanent members maintain a veto power, and thus, no substantive decision can be made or adopted without the consent or agreement of all five. Despite these drastically opposing ideologies, there has been a tie that binds the permanent members of the Security Council, and that is the use of force to promote these ideologies and other self-interests. It is for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to take stock of this situation and look inward at the damage they are causing to such a large percentage of the global community.

Source: Bangkok Post June 26, 2024 11:30 UTC