Countries make bid for UNSC

This archived article was written by: Alex Holt

Over 70 years have passed since the formation of the United Nations Security Council and World War II. This council was designed to prevent war on that large of a scale again, as well as finding diplomatic solutions to the world’s problems.
The council was seen as a perfect organization for much of the 20th century, however the world has changed significantly with the growth of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The current permanent members of the Security Council also known as the P5 are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. It is important to note that these nations have a special veto power when it comes to passing resolutions in the United Nations.
Over the past decades, many nations have believed that the P5 have abused their power and called for reform of the Security Council. In fact, Brazil, Japan, India, and Germany have campaigned for such reform.
These four nations alternatively known as the G4 have called for themselves to become permanent members of the council, each with their own veto power and everything, trying to make things more even on the global scale of things.
The G4 have quite the resume to substantiate their claim to a permanent membership.
Japan is the world’s 3rd largest economy and a very high human development index score. It is a very good ally of the U.S, however China blocks Japan’s bid.
India has the world’s 2nd highest population and it may soon overtake China’s population by 2020. India also has a fast growing economy. Its bid is also blocked by China.
Germany is the world’s 4th largest economy, a powerhouse of industry in Europe, and essentially leads the European Union. The U.K., France, and Russia block its bid.
Brazil is the largest economy and largest populated nation in South America. It has been one of the most internationally active nations in the Americas apart from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Its bid isn’t blocked by anyone.
2016 might be the year that these nations finally might make it and become permanent members. A summit involving the G4 took place last September and expressed interest in the UN to take action on Security Council reform. The United Nations did respond stating that it will make reform a topic in this year’s session.