Council UN Unbound: The Growth of UN Decisions Making on Conflict and Postconflict Issues After the Cold War

摘要

The book by Mathew J. Matheson deals with a very relevant topic, namely the enhanced role of the Security Council of the United Nations in international relations in the post-Cold War Era. The stated ambition with the book is both laudable and comprehensive. In this review the focus will be to assess the extent to which the book fulfils the stated ambitions as expressed by the author. The book is structured in the following way. First, an Introduction that sets the stage for the book as a whole (pp. 3-9). In Chapter 1 the framework of action by the Security Council is outlined (pp. 11-40). Chapter 2 is devoted to jurisdictional issues and mandate (pp. 41-64). Chapter 3 focuses on sanctions (pp. 65-97). Chapter 4 is devoted to United Nations' peacekeeping and governance (pp. 99-129). Chapter 5 analyses issues relating to the use of force (pp. 131-166). Chapter 6 is devoted the Technical Commission of the United Nations (pp. 167-197). Chapter 7 addresses issues relating to the prosecution of crimes (pp. 199-232). Then, there is a conclusion summarizing the main findings of the book (pp. 233-242). There are five Appendixes (pp. 243-328). Finally, there is selected bibliography (pp. 381-395).