Veto Power - An analysis

Introduction

I'm sure you've all heard of Veto, Veto Power, or P5 at least once. Well, whether you have heard it or not, whether you know it or not, today we will enter into an interesting and comprehensive analysis of everything that the concept of veto entails.

The origin of the word. Defining the concept

First of all, the veto is a Latin word, and its translation is "I forbid", as confirmed by the concept to which it refers. In practice, a state with veto power has the right to reject any resolution, and its decision must be taken into account. But not every state enjoys such a "privilege",only the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council: Russia, the USA, China, France, and the United Kingdom. Even if three of the states mentioned above represent the ideals of democracy, the veto is a controversial fact due to its completely undemocratic nature. But what do we do to say that this veto is undemocratic, if,in the end, these states exert a major influence on the world anyway? Well, that's what we're going to find out together…

How did the veto actually appear?

The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union allied during World War II, emerging victorious. Becoming very confident in the power and impact they can have on the world, they founded in 1945 the United Nations, whose task was "to save future generations from the calamity of war." Shortly afterwards, US President Franklin Roosevelt called for China to be included as a permanent member, prompting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to do the same for France. Therefore, the five permanent members of the Security Council received the right to veto.

How the Security Council and veto really work?

The Security Council operates on the basis of two types of members: the permanent ones - the five powers - and the non-permanent ones. There are 10 places for non-permanent members, who are replaced every two years. Both categories together form a council. For a decision to be approved, 9 out of 15 council members must vote in favor, unless one of the 5 powers does not exercise its veto.

The decisions provide, in more precise terms, the investigation of international threats, the recommendation of a resolution process, the lifting and imposition of sanctions, the request for military intervention in special situations.

All these decrees helped a lot globally, a good example being the military intervention against Gaddafi in Libya in 2011 or the sanctions given against Iran in response to their nuclear program in 2006. However, P5 used the right of veto. and to reject decisions for egocentric purposes…

The problems caused by the veto

The veto power has been abused hundreds of times since the formation of the United Nations. Some countries have made the most of their advantage, while the rest have tried to be as fair as possible and act only for the general good. Therefore, the countries accused of creating calamities by veto are:

Russia. Russia has used the veto since the early days of the United Nations, becoming the country with the most veto votes to date. At first, its leaders, Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko, and Vyacheslav Molotov were nicknamed Mr. Nyet and Mr. Veto, respectively. Russia's most recent abuse of the veto power was during the 2011 Syrian Civil War, where it used its veto power 12 times against projects that imposed sanctions, investigated chemical weapons, and sent Syria to the International Criminal Court because Syria was one of its allied countries. As a result, more than 400,000 people lost their lives.

The U.S. The United States has used the veto power dozens of times against resolutions that provided for Israeli actions, such as convictions for illegal possession of land, withdrawal from Palestinian territories, and calls for investigations into the mass killing of Palestinian protesters along the Gaza border. When the council called for the U.S. embassy to withdraw from Jerusalem, a decision that garnered 14 votes out of 15, the United States used its veto power to reject it.

China. China has used the veto power countless times to overturn resolutions on Taiwan's independence - a de jure Chinese territory. Things have been the same with the killings of minority Muslims in Myanmar, a very important trading partner for the East Asian people. Every time she was accused of abuse of power for personal gain, China shrugged and said she had never done anything like that, even if things seemed different.

Can the concept of veto disappear or become better for the world?

Many countries have noticed how a concept that should save the world, does nothing but destroy it for the good of their territory. As a result, a few years ago, France, the United Kingdom and representatives of other non-permanent countries at the UN proposed limiting the veto power. Specifically, in cases where mass atrocities are committed, P5 must voluntarily retain its right of veto. Has the proposal been considered? Unfortunately not. The answer of many was that the veto is important to have an intervention under control, even in extreme situations.

However, the revolted countries did not give up, coming a little later with another solution calling for the expansion of permanent seats in the council. They believe that territories such as Africa, Latin America and the Middle East would help the council evolve in making an important decision. As a result, the G4 of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan want to join the council and receive the power that the P5 has.

France and the United Kingdom are open to this idea, but Russia, the United States and China refuse to receive new members ...

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Veto Power has brought many benefits to the world, ending potential wars, saving lives, and freeing peoples from poverty and starvation. It remains to be seen whether they will solve the problems that arose with the veto in the future and whether they will be able to solve all the problems in the world, despite their interests.