I am genuinely flummoxed, now that United Nations Security Council, the once all-powerful world body, which had the power to punish any nation with sanctions or to permit any country in their worst crimes forever. No one could ask them to justify, and the permanent members of the body belonged to the then so-called super-powers, so-called because many of the security council members are struggling to be ordinary powers today. India, arguably lost its seat in the UN SC, yielding it to China by our PM Nehru.
From its inception in 1945, the world body has repeatedly failed in resolving the crisis that affected millions killed. Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territory headed the list, followed by the Kashmir crisis. The Cambodia violence 1975-79 saw 2 million killed by the Khmer Rouge regime. The unending Somali war that began in 1991 has ended 50000 lives.
The 1994 Hutu led Rwandan massacre left 80000 Tutsis killed and 250000 women raped. The 1995 Srebrenica Massacre was the worse ethnic cleansing post World War II. The Darfur conflict in Sudan that began in 2003 saw 200000 killed and nearly 2.5 million displaced. The belied suspicion of WMD left Iraq in shambles. Syria has been pounded relentlessly with 6.3 million people displaced. The war in South Sudan civil war has claimed 382000 lives so far. All these had happened right under the nose of UNSC. In the case of Syria, Russia vetoed resolutions a dozen times saving their ally Assad.
Many of the UNSC members have seriously violated human rights, China, whether in brutally crushing the Tiananmen protestors or incarcerating a million Muslims from Uighur recently. Russia violated Crimea and forcibly annexed it in 2014. The French had unleashed their police on protestors demanding better pay, the UK, with its handling of the Irish. The US has been a law unto itself, from their acts of war with Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Venezuela sanctions against Cuba and now Iran.
From the time India took the Kashmir matter, it has been lying in limbo, the last ever meeting on Kashmir taking place only in 1965(*). Now a letter from Pakistan has prompted the council to call for a closed meeting over an issue, on which I think the UNSC has no locus standi. At best, they can burn a few their donor’s funds and advise that the matter may be taken up with the International Court of Justice. That way they will have the cake and eat it too!
It is time for the reconstitution of the UNSC. Russia is not the Soviet Empire, and the United Kingdom neither is united any longer. It will defeat the purpose of equality and justice if matters are left to a few nations, on their historical size and standing. Any Council without India, representing 16% of humanity, cannot be a proper representation. People wave the UN constitution that prevents any additional member. It is time to re-write a constitution for UN as well.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
