Reforming the UN Security Council in Pursuance of Collective Security

摘要

In many circles, the most ideal composition of the UN Security Council is a popular subject of discussion, which, by now, could easily be turned into a party game. Such discussions have generated a host of ideas on the most suitable composition of the Council, taking into account geopolitical realities. Notwithstanding all of this, the September 2005 World Summit could only agree to disagree on the issue of Security Council reform as evidenced by the notably vague paragraph requesting the General Assembly to ‘review progress’ on this matter by the end of 2005.1 This article purports to assess the need for, and modalities of, Security Council reform. Obviously, the most appropriate size and composition of the Security Council depends on its tasks. This issue will be addressed in Section 1. The second section highlights the Charter criteria for the composition of the Council, while the third section reviews the various reform proposals. Lastly, Section 4 discusses some alternative ideas and concludes with some final observations.