UNSC membership

The United Nations Security Council is an essential organ of the UN which deals with international peace affairs. It has a rotational membership that excludes no single member of the world body. It always has 15 members, i.e. five of them permanent, 10 variable. The sad thing about the Council is that the permanent membership system is very vintage and colonial. It also symbolizes the domination of all by a handful few.

The system unfortunately doesn't allow global geographical representation of all continents. For example, Africa and Latin America have no permanent members on the Council. Asia and the Pacific are underrepresented. Europe, one of the world's smallest continents is overrepresented, and the U.S. has more clout than anyone else.

The ever-increasing number of uncontrollable bloody wars worldwide, perilous nuclear weapon tests, and ineffective disarmament agreements all prove that the UN Security Council's inactivity is actually responsible for worldwide insecurity.

The Security Council is not an independent body. Its limitations are based on the dictates of its powerful Western members. It is perfectly true to say, quite frankly, that the Council, since its creation after World War II, has not achieved very much.

BUHARI ABDU

Jakarta