The closest thing to a universal collective security institution, the United Nations (UN) serves a very important role in international affairs. The Security Council, which is its primary peacekeeping arm, is arguably the most important and powerful organization within the UN. Made up of five permanent members with veto power and 10 elected rotating members, the Security Council has been a significant player in virtually every peacekeeping effort since World War II and its authority extends well beyond the members' borders.
Yet in recent years, the influence of the Security Council, as well as the UN as a whole, has waned. With the emergence of strictly economic groups such as the Group of 20 and the World Trade Organization, diplomatic bodies have become less relevant. Bilateral cooperation among the world's most developed countries has led to a decrease in the political power of other multilateral institutions.
Additionally, NATO, which is primarily a military body, retains its top position in the world. Like other regional institutions, NATO oftentimes disregards UN interests and pursues its own agenda. This was seen during the events leading up to the largely U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in which many NATO member countries participated.
As these developments increase in frequency and thus decrease the legitimacy and relevance of the Security Council, new questions are raised. Predictably, the question of the value or necessity of the UN as a whole has also been discussed with more frequency recently. In order to counter these doubts and reinforce the importance of the world's most successful cooperative body, the Security Council must be reformed.
On Monday, Nov. 8, President Barack Obama left for a 10-day trip. While exclusively visiting Asian democracies, Obama's only interaction with China will be at the G-20 Summit in Seoul. Obama also took the opportunity to announce his support for India's bid to become a permanent member of the Security Council. The president believes this will ensure the promotion of an "effective, credible and legitimate" UN. This announcement was made in India at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and it signaled a major shift in U.S. foreign policy.
This decision to essentially ally with the world's largest democracy shows that the United States is worried about China's rise. In the coming years, India will be a major counterweight to China's economic successes and thus a valuable asset to the United States. The threat of China to American dominance is all too clear — something must be done to ensure that another world war is neither impending nor inevitable.
This support will also reassure many in India, including Singh, with regard to Pakistan, which, in his words, is a "terror machine." He argues the United States is taking a stance that is too conciliatory in order to accomplish its own goals in Afghanistan. Clearly, support for India's bid for a permanent Security Council seat has many implications worldwide. It will serve as yet another litmus test as to whether or not diplomacy can be used to avert war.
It is important to reassess the effectiveness of the Security Council, and supporting a reform is a necessary starting point. Other nations aside from India also aspire to join the Security Council as permanent members, signaling a shift in the international environment. Brazil, Japan and Germany are all making legitimate claims to permanent seats. Brazil, along with India, is a large supplier of UN peacekeeping troops. Japan and Germany as of 2009 are the UN's second and third largest funders, respectively, and have been looking to join for many years.
As the geopolitical landscape changes over time, it is necessary to adapt institutions in order to tackle new problems as they arise. It is wise to take another look at an aging institution that has been relatively stagnant since World War II. Obama's decision to support this sort of effort is an efficacious and constructive way to conduct foreign relations.
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Joshua Youner is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Joshua.Youner@tufts.edu.
