Expanding the Security Council

The UN is set to debate its reform of the Security Council, which, if the US does not torpedo it, should happen before September and before the new US Ambassador to the UN is appointed. Things seem to going better without the presence of a US Ambassador to the UN.

The plans were drawn up by Germany, Brazil, Japan and India, known as the G4, who want to join the US, UK, China, Russia and France as permanent members of the Security Council.

A vote on the plan could take place as early as this week.

The expansion of the UN Security Council has been discussed for years. There has been considerable support for adding new members to make it more representative than the closed club it has been for decades.

The present powerbrokers, mainly the US and the UK, and their cohorts, are deeply divided with the majority of UN members over the best method of doing this. They want to retain their power base.

Brazil (South America), Germany (Germanic Europe), Japan (East Pacific Asia) and India (South Asia) want to see six new permanent seats, four of which they hope to occupy, leaving the two others for Africa.

The Brazilian Ambassador to the UN, Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, said the realities of power had changed since 1945, when the UN was founded, and the Security Council needed to become more balanced. This is really a diplomatic way of saying that presently it is totally skewed!!

The African Union would also like to see six new permanent seats but they want them to be given the veto. Which is absolutely necessary as otherwise there is no reform but just window dressing!!

There is another group, which is called as "Uniting for Consensus", that backs the idea of adding 10 new non-permanent members who would face re-election.

The real face of reform would be when ALL members are necessary to face re-election!!

This is not a multi-status world when it comes to decision making. There are no two levels of people in this world if the Declaration of Human Rights is to be adhered to. Everyone has to be held accountable for their actions - not just the poor and weak as at present.