PPE3008 – The UN Security Council and War
This course explores the role of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in addressing the age-old problem of military conflict, both civil and international.
The UNSC is the world’s most powerful international body—the only one responsible for international peace and security—and has arguably played an important role in reducing international conflict since 1945. However, the UNSC has also operated in a highly selective manner and its actions (as well as its inaction) have resulted in failure and, tragically, in war. The Council’s very composition—especially the presence of Five Permanent members (P-5) alongside Ten Elected ones (E-10)—is also often criticized as anachronistic and inadequate to tackle the global challenges of today’s world.
Through a series of case-studies that will have both a regional as well as a thematic focus—and with the help of in-class simulations of United Nations Security Council sessions on a variety of issues—the course considers the advantages and the disadvantages of some of the UNSC’s key deliberations.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Understand the role and functions of the UNSC;
- Be familiar with the historical context in which the UNSC was set up;
- Understand the underlying logic of some pivotal UNSC decisions;
- Understand the roles of the P-5 and E-10 members of the UNSC;
- Appreciate the limits as well as the potential of the UNSC’s work;
- Examine how national leaders use (and abuse) the UNSC;
- Appreciate the changing character of war;
- Understand the debate about—and the stakes involved in—UNSC reform.