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The Security Council and the Decentralised Military Option: Constitutionality and Function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2009

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When the UN Security Council (the Council) authorises military action under Chapter VII of the Charter, question marks arise concerning the legality and purpose of such operations. The contents of Chapter VII of the Charter are not literally being complied with, and States contributing to the force can be accused of using force in pursuit of their own national interests as opposed to the collective interests of the UN. When a State, or a group of States is authorised to use force to combat aggression, as against North Korea and Iraq, or to deal with threats to the peace, as in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, Bosnia, Zaire and Albania, there is also confusion as to whether the States in question are simply exercising their inherent rights of self-defence, or are operating under the cloak of the controversial doctrine of humanitarian intervention with the encouragement of the Council, or whether these are UN military operations somehow distinct from the forces of blue helmets that the UN is more famous for. Such confusion is further compounded by the new functions of the military option in the post-Cold War era. The collective security system that has evolved in practice is inevitable in a world where powerful States jealously harbour their military strength, thereby only allowing its collective use within a system that respects their interests. However, despite clear deficiencies, it is the contention here that UN-authorised actions are collective enforcement operations with a sound constitutional basis in the UN Charter. Internal regulation of such operations is ensuring UN control and a system of accountability to the Council. Practice shows that States regard these operations as serving the UN's purposes and not simply promoting national interests. This can only prove to strengthen the decentralised system and legitimise military action.

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Copyright © T.M.C. Asser Press 1997

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References

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43. SC Res. 665, UN SCOR 45th Sess. Resolutions p. 21 (25 August 1990).

44. SC Res. 678, UN SCOR 45th Sess. Resolutions p. 27 (29 November 1990).

45. SC 2938th meeting, UN SCOR 45th Sess. (25 August 1990). This appears to be incorrect in that the enforcement of an embargo imposed by the Council is only possible by a further resolution of the Council. See Gill, , loc. cit. n. 7, p. 99.Google Scholar

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59. Ibid., p. 397.

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68. For example, the Presidential Decision Directive 25 (PDD-25) signed by President Clinton on 2 May 1994 sets out strict guidelines for US involvement in UN military operations, loc. cit. n. 22. See also Scheffer, , loc. cit. n. 66, pp. 652655.Google Scholar

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70. At the 1992 UN Summit of Council Members a declaration was issued recognising that ‘the absence of war and military conflicts amongst states does not in itself insure international peace and security. The non-military sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian, ecological fields have become threats to peace and security. The United Nations membership as a whole needs to give the highest priority to the solution of these matters’. New York Times (New York), 1 February 1992. See SC 3046th meeting, loc. cit. n. 27.

71. SC Res. 794, UN SCOR47th Sess. (3 December 1992) (Somalia); SC Res. 816, UN SCOR 48th Sess. (31 March 1993) (Bosnia-Herzegovina); SC Res. 836, UN SCOR48th Sess. (4 June 1993) (Bosnia-Herzegovina); SC Res. 929, UN SCOR49th Sess. (22 June 1994) (Rwanda); SC Res. 940, UN SCOR 49th Sess. (31 July 1994) (Haiti); SC Res. 1031, UN SCOR 50th Sess. (15 December 1995) (Bosnia-Herzegovina); SC Res. 1080, UN SCOR 51st Sess. (15 November 1996) (Zaire); SC Res. 1101, UN SCOR 52nd Sess. (28 March 1997) (Albania).

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74. The Hungarian representative at the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 794 pointed out that the resolution marked an important step from SC Res. 678 proving the possibility of UN-authorized wide-scale humanitarian action. See SC Res. 3145th meeting, UN Security Council Provisional Records(S/PV) 47th Sess. (3 December 1992) p. 48.

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77. See speech by Indian representative, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 51, and the British representative's emphasis on the uniqueness of the Somali case, pp. 34–35.

78. See Zimbabwe representative's speech, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 7.

79. SC Res. 713, UN SCOR 46th Sess. (25 September 1991).

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83. Member States at the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 816 admitted that the lack of enforcement mechanisms in many of its resolutions concerning the former-Yugoslavia had permitted ‘the intransigent party to act with impunity, unafraid of any consequences of its deeds’ (Djibouti representative). By authorising ‘all necessary measures’ to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina the Council signalled that it was not prepared to have its resolutions flouted, (UK representative), SC 3191st meeting, UN S/PV 48th Sess. (31 March 1993) pp. 12, 16.

84. See the speech by the Venezuelan representative at the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 816 on me enforcement of me no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina, ibid., pp. 8–11.

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91. Ibid., pp. 947–949.

92. The concept of ‘safe areas‘ was extended to areas in the Republic of Croatia under SC Res. 958, UN SCOR 49th Sess. (19 November 1994) which authorised the use of air power by NATO to protect such areas.

93. See speech by the Bosnian representative at SC 3228th meeting, UN S/PV 48th Sess. (4 June 1993) p. 5.

94. See speeches by the French and British representatives, ibid., pp. 11–14, pp. 56–58, respectively.

95. Venezuela and Pakistan abstained disagreeing with the way in which SC Res 836 proposed to implement ‘safe areas’. Venezuela had been at the forefront in the adoption of SC Res 819 and 824 and agreed with the concept of ‘safe areas’, but felt the concept had lost all credibility since these areas were ‘nothing more than ethnic reservations under the wing of the United Nations’ synonymous with prisons, concentration camps and ghettoes. Instead, it favoured a more determined resolution which would guarantee freedom of movement into and out of the areas wim an interna-tional military presence. Security against military attacks would only be possible by seizing or neutralising the heavy armaments of the Serbs, loc. cit. n. 93, pp. 22–23.

96. Loc. cit. n. 86.

97. Loc. cit. n. 93, p. 16.

98. See speech by the Venezuelan representative, loc. cit. n. 93, p. 21.

99. Art. 47(3).

100. Although proposals have been put forward to the UN for such an arrangement, see SC 3046th meeting, loc. cit. n. 27. Furthermore, the Dutch Government proposed the establishment of a ‘UN Rapid Deployment Brigade’ to be deployed immediately following a Council resolution, and not only used for peace-keeping operations but Chapter VII operations too. The Canadian Government recommended the creation of a standby ‘UN Vanguard Force’. See Scheffer, , loc. cit. n. 66, pp. 657658.Google Scholar

101. Murphy, , loc. cit. n. 66, pp. 223224.Google Scholar

102. See Hutchinson, loc. cit. n. 75.

103. Para. 12.

104. Murphy, , loc. cit. n. 66, pp. 222235 and 278.Google Scholar

105. At the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 794, the Hungarian representative recognised that international action, especially important offers made by a number of States, had led to the adoption of the Resolution, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 47.

106. Murphy, loc. cit. n. 66, p. 278 n. 236.

107. SC Res. 1080, UN SCOR 51st Sess. para. 3 (15 November 1996).

108. Murphy, , loc. cit. n. 66, p. 283.Google Scholar

109. Ibid.

110. Murphy believes that closer cooperation will enhance the ability of a regional organisation to bring pressure to bear on the potential aggressor, whilst at the same time keeping in the front line the organisation best equipped to resolve the problem, loc. cit. n. 66, pp. 283–284.

111. Teson, , op. cit. n. 6, pp. 264265.Google Scholar

112. The Times (London), 30 August 1995.

113. See Zimbabwe representative's speech, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 7.

114. See, for instance, speech by the Indian representative at the meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 794, favouring a UN commanded and controlled action but welcoming the compromise for political control by the UN and strategic control by the Commanders, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 51. The Chinese representative took the view that SC Res. 794 authorised certain countries to take military action ‘which may adversely affect the collective role of the UN’, loc. cit. n. 74, p. 17.

115. Although the representative from me Ukraine called for IFOR's right to self-defence to be interpreted restrictively, SC 3607th meeting, UN S/PV 50th Sess. 15 December 1995) p. 29.

116. See speeches by the British representative, ibid., p. 8; the US representative p. 20; and the French representative p. 21. For conflicting views on the legitimacy of IFOR's power to detain indicted persons, see Scheffer, D.J., ‘International Judicial Intervention’, 102 Foreign Policy (1996) pp. 3451;CrossRefGoogle Scholar and Ciechanski, J., ‘Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of die UN Charter: UN Practice after the Cold War’, 3(4) International Peacekeeping (1996) pp. 82104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

117. The Nigerian representative at the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 1031 argued that multinational forces should be placed at the disposal of the UN and operated under the command of the Secretary-General. The UN should not continue ‘to contract out what would normally be a UN responsibility to a group of powerful states’, loc. cit. n. 115, p. 15.

118. The Russian representative at the Council meeting stated that ‘Russia will consistently defend the need to avoid unjustified use of force in the course of the operation’, loc. cit. n. 115, p. 25.

119. For example, operative para. 8 of SC Res. 940 on Haiti states that ‘the multinational force will terminate … when a secure and stable environment has been established and UNMIH has adequate force capability and structure to assume the full range of its functions; the determination will be made by the Security Council, taking into account recommendations from the Member States of the multinational force, which are based on the assessment of the commander of the multinational force, and from the Secretary-General’. For a discussion on the confusion between peace-keeping and peace-making mandates, see Ciechanski, , loc. cit. n. 116, pp. 8993.Google Scholar

120. Adopted by 10 votes in favour and 5 abstentions (Brazil, China, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan), 22 June 1994.

121. Emphasis added.

122. SC 3413th meeting, UN S/PV 49th Sess. (31 July 1994) p. 5. The resolution was adopted with 12 votes in favour and 2 abstentions (Brazil and China).

123. Adopted with fourteen votes in favour and one abstention. China abstained on the grounds that it ‘had never been in favour of the Security Council frequently invoking Chapter VII of the Charter in authorizing action’ in a country. However, in view of the requests made by the Albanian government it did not want to prevent the adoption of the resolution. See SC 3758th meeting, UN S/PV 52nd Sess. (28 March 1997) p. 3. In contrast, China voted in favour of SC Res. 1031 on Bosnia-Herzegovina and justified this on the grounds that the ‘urgent wishes of the parties concerned‘ must be considered, loc. cit. n. 115, p. 14. Thus, the issue of consent is not a legal prerequisite for military action, although some States may use it as a political justification. In any case, with or without consent, the military action is still recognised as a Chapter VII operation, even by those States abstaining. See, for instance, the speech by the Chinese representative at the meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 940 on Haiti where it abstained, yet recognised that the proposed action was a Chapter VII operation, ibid., p. 10.

124. Established to oversee political control of the operation. Consisting of the Political Directors of the troop-contributing countries, the Commander of the operation, and chaired by Italy with France as Vice-Chairman.

125. Letter dated 14 June 1997 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, UN Doc. S/1997/460 (1997).

126. Member States at the Council meeting for the adoption of SC Res. 794 supported enforcement action, so long as this was controlled by the UN and subject to rigorous reporting to the Council by the Secretary-General and an ad hoc commission composed of Council members. See comments of French representative, loc. cit. n. 74, pp. 28–31.

127. Letter dated 27 September 1994 from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, UN SCOR 49th Sess., UN Doc. S/1994/1107 (1994).

128. Murphy, , loc. cit. n. 66, p. 280.Google Scholar