United Nations
The United Nations Security Council is one of the main organizations in the United Nations and their main duty is to maintain international peace and security. The exact responsibilities and power of the United Nations Security Council has been outlined in the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Security Council has authority in matters of establishing peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action.
The United Nations Security Council consists of five permanent members; these are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and United States. As a member of the United Nations Security Council, these countries have the power to veto any resolution. The five members of the United Nations Security Council were countries that emerged victorious after WWII. Furthermore, the members of the United Nations Security Council are also the only members that have been recognized for their possession of nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, although this is not a prerequisite or condition. There are also rotating positions in the United Nations Security Council. There are ten non permanent members in the United Nations Security Council and they are chosen based on various regions of the world. At some point or another, almost every United Nations member county is a member of a regional grouping.
The ten non permanent members serve two year terms and half are replaced each year in annual elections. Each region votes for its own representatives and the United Nations General Assembly will approve the selections. From January 1st, 2008 to December 31st 2009 are Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya, and Vietnam. The other five members started on January 1st, 2009 and will end their term on December 31st, 2010; these countries are Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Uganda. The president of the Security Council has to set the agenda, preside at its meetings and oversee any crisis. The president of the Security Council also has to authority to issue both presidential statements and notes, which are used to make declarations of intent that the full Security Council can then pursue. The Presidency rotates monthly in alphabetical order of the Security Council member nations. One of the most important powers of the United Nations Security Council is the power they have over decisions. According to the United Nations Charter, Security Council decisions on all substantive matters require the affirmative votes of nine out of fifteen members. A negative vote or veto by a permanent member prevents the adoption of a proposal even if it has already received the nine affirmative votes. Their veto power is for lack of a better term, a perk of being a member of the Security Council. Being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council gives you a great deal of influence in international proceedings therefore there have been many bids from countries to become permanent members. There has been discussion of increasing the number of permanent members. The countries who have made the strongest bids as of now are Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan. This situation is still being discussed.
The United Nations Security Council is a very powerful body and must be respected as their decisions will have a significant influence in the world.