mentioned, the end of the Cold War led to the replacement of the USSR with the
Russian Federation on the UN Permanent Security Council. While the Russian
Federation has been more agreeable than its predecessor, allowing for more
action to be taken, it has also caused an increase in informality among Security
Council members which reduces the deliberative nature of the UN, cutting out
large numbers of states in global decision-making and allowing potentially misguided actions to be taken. 26 Given that Russia is significantly smaller
regarding landmass, population, and economy when compared to its
predecessor, it has also contributed to a power imbalance which favours the
West in global decision-making. The US and its allies have much more power
over the UN since the end of the Cold War, allowing it to sometimes be used as
a tool of US foreign policy which has led to catastrophic actions being taken – the global community has suffered, but the US has benefitted. 27 The second
factor, globalisation, has reduced the power of the state and encouraged fear of
losing sovereignty. Conservative governments in the west, bolstered by what
they considered a victory in the ideological battle against communism, have
fought to retain their sovereignty and power on the global stage. They have
viewed the UN and other supranational organizations with suspicion, which has
contributed to a reduction in their contributions to the UN – both economically and militarily. 28 Subsequently, these states have used aid and troop contributions
as a tool to control the UN, hindering its ability to act in the name of common
good. Thus, the actions taken by its member states, and particularly its most
powerful members who hold veto power on the Security Council, have
significantly hindered the UN’s ability to act in some situations and has
contributed to its failures. While this cannot be considered a factor in all failures
26 Barrett, p. 9 27 Barrett, p. 11 28 Kennedy, p. 131
21
Made with FlippingBook HTML5