United Nations Security Council
Procedural Matters Substantive Matters
Substantive Matters:“Decisions on substantive matters
require nine votes, including the concurring votes of all
five permanent members. This is the rule of "great
Power unanimity", often referred to as the "veto" power.”
http://www.un.org/sc/members.asp
Its Article 27 of the UN Charter that P-5 derive this
power from but charter does not uses the term
‘Veto’.
CHANGE IN USE OF VETO
80
70
60
50
Number of Resolutions
40 passed
Number of Resoultions
30 Vetoed
20
10
0
1946 1954 1962 1970 1978 1986 1994 2002
Source: Wallensteen, Peter and Johansson Patrik (2004), Security
Council
Decisions in Perspective, David M. Malone, The UN Security Council-
From the cold war to the 21st Century.
• Use of Veto especially in comparison to
the number of resolutions passed every
year has gone down with the end of
Cold War.
Use of Veto during Cold War
• USSR used Veto 79 times during
the first decade of UN itself.
• Andrei Gromyko,USSR‟s foreign
minister between 1957 and
1985, came to be known as “Mr.
Nyte” or Mr. No.
Such extensive use of
Veto by USSR can be
attributed to its
isolation during the
cold war where unlike
other western veto
power states it could
not employ influence
to block resolutions.
US in contrast used its first ever Veto in 1970 to show
support to Britain which was under pressure to end the
white minority government in Southern Rhodesia.
Till then US was “able to score heavy propaganda points
because of the Soviet Union‟s profligate use of its veto.”
Bush Senior’s Policy to combat
terrorists: After its first use of veto,US
started shielding ”Israel from international
criticism, censure and sanctions”.Bush
termed this „new policy‟ as policy against
terrorism and a total of 32 vetoes were cast
during 1972 to 1997.
Source:Neff, Donald, Fifty Years of Israel, US:
American Educational Trust
Other P-5 states used Veto during cold war to block resolutions
which were detrimental to their own interest-
China: Chinese seat occupied by Republic of China vetoed
Mongolia‟s application for UN membership.
It also blocked Bangladesh‟s application to show support to
Pakistan, a state considered as friend.
France:During cold war France used veto along with other P-5
states mainly US & UK and only twice it went alone- on an issue
concerning Indonesia and another on Comoros.
Britain: Britain used its veto power along with US and France and
on only seven times it went solo while vetoing resolutions
concerning Rhodesia- which later became Zimbabwe.
Source:
Kafala Tarik, The veto and how to use it, BBC News Online , 17 September 2003 09:09
UK
End of Cold War
Beginning of Cooperation
During Cold war Vetoes used as a propagandistic tool.Inspite
of knowing that a resolution would be vetoed by a state, it
was still drafted to score political points.
End of cold war politics marked a shift from this.
Informal consultations: From 1987 with efforts to end Iraq-
Iran war began the tradition of informal consultations.
This can be counted as a major reason for use of veto going
down as member states of UNSC hold hold closed private
meetings in advance and come to consensus thus no need
to resort to veto to show dissent by any of the P-5 states.
Source: Wallensteen, Peter and Johansson Patrik (2004), Security Council
Decisions in Perspective, David M. Malone, The UN Security Council-
From the cold war to the 21st Century.
During Cold war countries managed to get away with
occupation of neighboring territories- Turkey (northern parts
of Cyprus), Indonesia (East Timor) and Israel (West bank,
Gaza Strip and the Golan heights).Post cold war things
changed when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and council for
the first time showed solidarity in mandating force for
intervention.
Thus UNSCR 660 condemning Iraq‟s invasion and
demanding immediate withdrawal was passed by the council
unanimously.
Source: Wallensteen, Peter and Johansson Patrik (2004), Security Council
Decisions in Perspective, David M. Malone, The UN Security Council-From the
cold war to the 21st Century.
Dramatic increase in Chapter 7 resolutions and
decrease in vetoes
Source:
Wallensteen,
Peter and
Johansson
Patrik (2004),
Security
Council
Decisions in
Perspective,
David M.
Malone, The
UN Security
Council-From
the cold war
to the 21st
Century.
Increase in peacemaking missions and sanctions regime- A
sign of Council delivering on original aims.
Source:
Wallensteen,
Peter and
Johansson Patrik
(2004), Security
Council
Decisions in
Perspective,
David M.
Malone, The UN
Security Council-
From the cold
war to the 21st
Century.
During cold war Bipolarity deadlocked action in UNSC
especially Soviet Veto.After the end of cold war it‟s a tussle
between US‟s preference to go alone even without
Council‟s authorization- Unipolarity and efforts of other
powers to secure multipolar order from US- France and
Russia‟s threat to veto use of force against Iraq in 2003.
Another way by which decrease in veto can be explained is
that cold war was marked by birth of new states lining up
for UN membership and thus politics dictated how P-5
reacted to it which mostly chose to veto their membership
ambitions where as by the time cold war ended, process of
decolonization, liberation etc were also over.
Soviet Union Vetoed 48 times and US 6 times, membership
ambitions of states.
Source: Wallensteen, Peter and Johansson Patrik (2004), Security Council
Decisions in Perspective, David M. Malone, The UN Security Council-From the cold war to the
21st Century.
• There are instances of either of the P-5
nation vetoing an action of the council
for the cause of one‟s own national
interest or for pity ideological interest.
China in 1997 vetoed peacekeeping
operation proceedings in Macedonia and
Guatemala due to their engagement with
Taiwan.
US Veto in February,2011 against a
resolution condemning Israeli settlements in
Palestinian territory where US stood alone in
the 15 member council.
In post cold war world UNSC has become
-serious
-Cooperative
-deeply involved in issues on agenda
-a key organ of UNSC for peace and
security
has overshadowed General assembly
which was the other way round during
cold war.
Source: Wallensteen, Peter and Johansson Patrik (2004), Security Council
Decisions in Perspective, David M. Malone, The UN Security Council-
From the cold war to the 21st Century.
Thanks