United Nations Security Council

This entry provides an overview of the key features and evolution of the United Nations Security Council, the central organ of the United Nations system tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security. It aims to highlight both the Council’s strengths and shortcomings and to discuss how the dynamics within the body have evolved over time along with the relationships among its permanent members.

Structure of the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) was founded in the aftermath of World War II at the San Francisco Conference of 1945, with the central purpose of preventing another world war. The primary UN organ concerned with the maintenance of international peace and security is the UN Security Council.

In its design, the Security Council was intended to address ...

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