A voice at the table: the role of non-permanent members on the United Nations Security Council

Abstract

At first glance, the Security Council is an arena dominated by great powers, eager to use it to create their own form of international order. The Permanent Five members (China, Russia, France, Britain and the United States) - the acknowledged nuclear weapons powers - are often portrayed as deciding international affairs without recourse to the majority of the world's community of states. But there are sixteen seats at the horseshoe-shaped table. Excluding those preserved for the Permanent Five and, as needed, the Secretary General, ten other states participate in every Council meeting. These are the non-permanent states. In language typical of the UN this group is described in terms of what they are not. A non-permanent member, elected by the General Assembly, can only serve two consecutive years on the Council before ceding its place to another government. In this time, the non-permanent member works to fulfill its own interests on the Council, interests that may conflict with those of a major power. The power gap, in terms of resources and experience, between the Permanent Five and the other Council members may, at times indicate that the Council is a closed club where the major powers decide international security issues. However, the smaller states are not as powerless as this suggests. Most non-permanent members have fewer resources than the Big Five but they can often play a significant role in Council discussions.