Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
IRGC statement: Repetition of evil will lead to the realization of the common aspiration of the Islamic nation and free peoples to eradicate the cancerous gland of Zion.
IRGC statement: Any repetition of evil will accelerate the collapse of the US military establishment in the region.
IRGC statement: US bases and mobile military targets in the region are not a strength of this national defense, but rather a weakness.
IRGC statement: Iran will not leave any attack on its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered under any circumstances.
IRGC statement: This base is the headquarters of the Air Force and the largest strategic asset of the terrorist American army in the West Asia region.
IRGC statement: We targeted Al Udeid base in Qatar with a powerful and devastating missile attack as part of Operation Annunciation of Victory.
Explosions heard across Doha: AFP journalists
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Qatar temporarily closes its airspace "for the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors."
Al Mayadeen: Israeli warplanes raid the outskirts of Al-Aishiya and Al-Mahmoudiya, Southern Lebanon.
Israeli media: Direct damage from Iranian bombing of "Israel" in one week is estimated at approximately 5 billion shekels (about $1.35 billion)

Is US quest to expand UN Security Council serious or 'nice rhetoric'?

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 12 Jun 2023 20:05
4 Min Read

Is the US really interested in giving a voice to the Global South, or is it looking for a way to take away Russia's veto power?

  • x
  • U.S. seeks to expand developing world’s influence at United Nations
    US President Joe Biden speaks during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, on September 21, 2021. (AP)

The Biden administration is reportedly working on a proposal to restructure the United Nations Security Council, with the aim of restoring trust in the top global governance organization by acknowledging the current fragmented balance of global power, The Washington Post reported. 

The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has been meeting diplomats from the 193 member states of the organization to explore the possibility of expanding the influential council before the global leaders' summit this autumn.

The objective of the proposal is to recognize the growing influence of developing countries and to address the widespread dissatisfaction with the current members of the council's inability to resolve global conflicts effectively, according to The Washington Post.

The proposal suggests that the United Nations may require reforming to ensure it becomes a central tool in preventing wars and maintaining stability in the increasingly fractured world. The US administration claims it is after modernizing global governance bodies, including the World Bank, and ensuring effective management of security issues, climate change, and global health threats.

Read more: China calls on 'Israel' at UNSC to stop encroaching on Palestine

According to Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group, "The more the UN declines, the more fragmented, the more regionalized and the more competitive the world will become.”
 
At the UN General Assembly gathering in September, Biden expressed that he was willing to add new permanent seats to the council. “The time has come for this institution to become more inclusive,” Biden said, urging permanent members to use their veto power only in “rare, extraordinary situations.”

This comes at a time when Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the United Nations to remove Russia or else it should be abolished.

Related News

Iran targets US air base in Qatar with 'destructive' missile strike

Iran says targeted US Qatar air base under Op. Annunciation of Victory

Read next: UNSC fails to adopt Russian draft calling for Nord Stream probe

The Security Council's authority stems from its capacity to approve binding decisions, as opposed to those enacted by the United Nations General Assembly. Aside from the five permanent seats, the council has ten non-permanent members who are chosen for two-year periods.

Brazil and India have argued that it does not represent the views nor the interests of the Global South- Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Ronaldo Costa Filho, Brazil’s outgoing ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the reform of the council would ensure that the Global South "feels it has a significant stake in preserving the system."

Biden's administration has not yet proposed a specific reform, however, according to some US and UN officials, the US is not willing to grant veto power to any new permanent members in the council, keeping the veto power of current members intact. 

A UN diplomat expressed that any reform would "reduce the weight of the West," questioning whether the West is serious about its reform proposals or just utilizing "a nice rhetoric." 
 
Britain's Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the reform is necessary to respond to Russia's use of veto power.

According to Gowan, the necessity of getting the approval of 128 states would mean the proposal will perform  "about as well as a snowball in hell.”
 
The Biden administration must also traverse a slew of rival ideas, demonstrating the complexities of forming global coalitions for any cause. A "Uniting for Consensus" proposal, sponsored by nations such as Italy, Argentina, South Korea, and Pakistan, would add non-permanent seats but no new permanent members, potentially displacing regional competitors in the French and British-led plans.

“We don’t think that it is a good principle that you put a country permanently on the Security Council, because then it is not held accountable for the way it behaves,” Munir Akram, Pakistan's representative stated.

African countries, which account for about 30 percent of UN members, have wanted two permanent seats with veto power for the continent but have not specified which countries will fill them.

  • United States
  • United Nations
  • Ukraine

Most Read

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

  • MENA
  • 17 Jun 2025
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Politics

Spain seeks immediate suspension of EU association pact with 'Israel'

Israeli settlers evacuate a building damaged in an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Tel Aviv streets ghostly; settlers flee under Iranian missile fire

Trump’s secret Iran strike uncovered in explosive CNN report
Politics

Behind the scenes: Trump's decision to strike Iran mapped - CNN

The oil tanker Palanca Rio arrives in Portland, Maine, the United States, Wednesday, April 2, 2025 (AP)
Economy

Oil prices spike as US-Israeli aggression on Iran sparks concerns

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS