Public international law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Public international law - Essay Example Whether it is the war that used to be fought between the kings during the ancient ages with traditional weapons or the current warfare involving modern armaments, peace is nothing more than a maxim or a dictum. In the modern age, war has surpassed the strain of physical battle and political issues and conflicts are constantly revealed by different nations across the world. To take care of such conflicting situations, various national, international and regional organisations have been set up by various nations across the world. One of the most prominent organisations in this arena is the United Nations Security Council. Overview of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UNSC or United Nations Security Council is a body of the United Nations, which is responsible for restoration of peace across the globe and set up about 65 years ago amidst violence and extreme human suffering (UN Security Council – Profile, 2013). A world that was already shattered and badly ravaged by the World War II and recovering from its impact strongly aspired for global peace, found it as the greatest opportunity to eliminate the bane of armed conflict with the formation of UNSC. The Security Council comprises of five member states including China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States that represents the Council permanently. Alongside, these member states, the existence of non-member states intends to establish stability across different regions of globe. Accordingly, there are two non-members from Africa and Asia, two Latin African members, one and two members from East and West Europe respectively. These non-members are elected by the General Assembly for a period of two years (Edward C. Luck, 2006, P. 3-5) The  United Nations Security Council  is one of the six key organs of the  United Nations  and is responsible for the maintenance of global peace and security. It has the power to issue mandatory resolutions to member states regarding the launc h of  peacekeeping  operations, the establishment of  international permissions and the authorization of  military action  through  its resolutions. After World War II,  the Security Council  was founded  to address the shortcomings of the League of Nations in preserving world peace. In its early years, activities of the UNSC were largely constrained by the  Cold War between the US and USSR. With the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the peacekeeping work by UN increased vividly, and the Security Council approved major military and peacekeeping missions in  Kuwait,  Namibia,  Cambodia,  Bosnia,  Rwanda,  Somalia,  Sudan, and  Congo  with wavering amounts of success. (Shaw, 2008) Composition of the UNSC The Security Council presently consists of fifteen members, of which five are permanent and ten are non-permanent. The  great powers  that were the  winners of World War II, namely China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, function as the five permanent members of the UNSC. These permanent members can  exercise veto  power regarding any basic Security Council resolutions, comprising those on the admission of new member states or nomination of candidates for  the position of Secretary-General. The Council also has ten non-permanent members, chosen on a regional basis to work for a term of two years. The resolutions passed by the Security Coun