Dissertation

Reforming the United Nations Security Council: Feasibility or Utopia?

Schaefer, Kai

2016

Overview

Reforming the United Nations Security Council has been on the agenda of the General Assembly for over two decades. However, structural reform of the Council remains elusive. This research paper will seek to explain why after so many years nearly all 193 states within the UN remain actively seized on the matter of reform, and ongoing commitment to Council reform can be observed. In order to properly analyze SC reform efforts and the various obstacles along the way, this paper emphasizes states’ motivations during the reform process. This thesis argues that although states work on the same objective, namely that of reforming the UNSC, they do so for varying reasons. With the help of new institutionalist theory, an argument is formed that highlights how certain states are more driven by strategic calculations and self-interest, while others are more normatively motivated, and thus are more driven by what is considered appropriate. Furthermore, this thesis highlights that despite only lukewarm support for reform from certain states, not a single state can publicly denounce Council reform, because the reform issue itself has become an ingrained norm. Emphasis will be given to structural reform, such as increasing the size of the Council, as well as improving the SC’s working methods. Despite the lack of formal reform, the SC has continually proven to be adaptive in order to remain relevant well into the 21st century.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Decision making / International Relations / Legitimacy / Political science
• ISBN: 9798597040363