Since the end of World War II, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations Security Council may have made the greatest contributions to preventing the outbreak of a third global conflict. However, actions such as U.S. President Trump's suggestion to withdraw from NATO and bypassing the Security Council to bomb Iran have posed major challenges to these two international organizations.
According to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report, during the NATO summit held this June in The Hague, Netherlands, a new round of criticism from Trump overshadowed the event. At that time, he hinted that he might not fully comply with Article 5 of the charter regarding collective defense.
On his way to the NATO summit, Trump remarked: “It depends on your definition. There are many definitions of Article 5 (of the charter).”
NATO member states are now adapting to the possibility of reshaping the alliance, as well as reconsidering the necessity of their national defense budgets and procurements.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. However, although the Security Council is an important part of the UN, its adaptability falls far short of NATO's.
John Langmore, Chair of the Melbourne University's 'Initiative for Peacebuilding' in Australia, believes that Trump's decision to attack Iran without first resorting to the Security Council “caused significant harm.”
He said: “The world’s most powerful country acts without regard for law and procedure and does not face consequences. This has seriously undermined the Security Council and certainly damaged its credibility.”
It is widely seen that the United Nations Security Council, established after World War II, no longer accurately reflects the world as it once did.
The most powerful members of the Security Council are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China—the victors of World War II. These five countries each hold veto power over any resolution.
On June 5 this year, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, even though the other 14 Security Council member countries all voted in favor.
In February, the United States also stood with Russia regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, drafting a Security Council resolution calling for an end to the war but without making any criticism of Russia.
However, Langmore believes that the Security Council continues to fulfill its main responsibility of preventing global conflict.
He commented: “The Security Council has been very effective, given that a third world war has not yet broken out. It cannot prevent a series of more localized violent incidents, but it indeed has taken some actions to prevent the occurrence of a global war.” (News source: Central News Agency)