The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that quote “condemns in the
strongest terms”, the attack that brought down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine.
They also demanded unfettered access to the crash site.
But they haven’t yet listed this resolution under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter,
so the resolution is not enforceable.
And they gave in to pressure from Russia and changed the phrase “shooting down” to
“downing” so they didn’t even use the “strongest terms” available in their condemnation.
Which begs the question…
what good is the UN?
What military powers does it even have?
The short answer is...that depends.
The UN is a coalition of 193 nations.
If all those nations were to work together militarily, they would collectively wield
incredible power.
But it would be those nations wielding power as a group, not the UN wielding power by itself.
You can think of the UN more as a forum, than a force.
In fact, the general assembly of the UN is literally just that, a place where all 193
nations can discuss global and domestic issues.
Occasionally, recommendations will come out of this forum, but they are not binding and
it’s up to each individual nation to comply.
The US gets tagged in the press a lot for not complying.
Within the UN there is a smaller group called the UN Security Council.
This is a group of 15 nations responsible for assessing “threats to the peace” and
determining what actions should be taken in response to these threats.
Be it sanctions, communication disruptions, or military actions.
Their decisions are binding when the council says they are binding and UN members are obligated
to carry them out.
This can include contributing troops and supplies for military engagement.
Though “obligated” is a strong word - there have been incidents of disobedience and other
countermeasures.
Plus, any decision made by the security council can be vetoed by any one of the five permanent
members of the Security Council; these members are China, France, Russia, the UK, and the
US.
So, in a dispute like the current one between Ukraine and Russia, the Security Council’s
actual power is limited because Russia can just veto any decision it doesn’t agree
with.
It’s a tough spot for the rest of the UN to be in, but it is all part of the checks
and balances that make the UN a coalition.
It is also part of why some people think the UN is an extremely biased coalition.
To hear more about the Malaysian Airline Disaster in the Ukraine, click here now to see our
video on who if anybody will have to pay for shooting down the commercial airline.
Or click the other box to see our video on why Catholic Priests aren’t allowed to marry.
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