The Security Council and ‘Secret Diplomacy’

The Security Council is the most important organ of the United Nations and, in the words of the Charter (see Appendix 1), is charged with ‘primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security’. It has fifteen members: five permanent and veto wielding ones (the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France and the People’s Republic of China); and ten elected for two-year terms in the light of the need for ‘equitable geographical distribution’ (see Appendix 3). The presidency of the Council rotates on a monthly basis among both permanent and non-permanent members. In contrast to the first two decades of its existence, when it was dominated by the Western powers, no group of states now holds sway over the Security Council — lest it be ‘the Big Five’ themselves.