This week, the UN's general assembly voted overwhelmingly 116-6 to condemn the UK's occupation of the Chagos Islands. The non-binding resolution endorsed a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in February that said the UK continued claim was illegal and the islands should be returned to the former British territory of Mauritius
The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto power on all substantive matters taken up by the Council.
Doesn't that mean that they can pretty much ignore anything the General Assembly or most other international bodies tell them to do, just like the United States, Russia, and China do, because actually enforcing anything usually involves something that ends up requiring some kind of action that will require Security Council approval?
The point of the UN is not to be a world government. It is to be a forum for the five major power victors of WWII to coordinate things.
Okay, that’s a bit flippant, but it’s mostly true.
There is a lot of discussion about how illogical it is that, for example, India or Japan aren’t permanent members and how the UN should be reformed. IMO this misses the point. If you made the structure more “fair”, the powerful countries would simply not bother participating. International relations are mostly based on power, not fairness.
I could set up a perfectly fair world government in my living room tomorrow, but it’s unlikely that anyone would follow its edicts.
Okay, that’s a bit flippant, but it’s mostly true.
To the extent it was true, that model got overturned due to Korea which demonstrated that it could not work and that the UN would fail utterly without a workaround for veto-induced paralysis; such a workaround was adopted in 1950 and has been used several times since (first notable use being to bypass the Anglo-French veto of a UN cease-fire and peacekeeping force in the Suez crisis in 1956.
The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto power on all substantive matters taken up by the Council.
Doesn't that mean that they can pretty much ignore anything the General Assembly or most other international bodies tell them to do, just like the United States, Russia, and China do
No, the fact that they are world power backed up by the US and a number of other major powers in most things usually means that, though.
because actually enforcing anything usually involves something that ends up requiring some kind of action that will require Security Council approval?
Facing the potential of Soviet veto producing a Security Council deadlock in the Korean War era, the US came up with a solution to that which was adopted in A/RES/377A (3 Nov 1950), the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, under which the General Assembly makes recommendations for coordinated action in the event of a Security Council deadlock. This has been invoked roughly a dozen times since, and effectively provides a General Assembly route around Security Council vetoes.
The first use outside the context of Korea (in the 1956 Suez crisis) was against a UK/France joint veto in the Security Council.
Not saying you are incorrect, but I got the impression from your comment that 377A had something to do with the initial UN action in the Korean War, so context for anyone else that got that impression:
The UN involvement in the Korean War was authorized by Resolution 83[1] and Resolution 84[2] and the votes were held while the Soviet Union vetoed the security council because China's seat was held by the ROC, not PRC. 377A was a way to prevent vetoes from blocking future action in that and coming conflicts.
That said I think there is some evidence of potentially criminal activity in the treatment of those living on the islands. John Pilger famously made a documentary about it.
So if I pay your govt 3 million (or 3 billion (or 3 trillion)) in exchange I get to deport you, your family and everyone you know to wherever I want? Legal yeah?
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The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto power on all substantive matters taken up by the Council.
Doesn't that mean that they can pretty much ignore anything the General Assembly or most other international bodies tell them to do, just like the United States, Russia, and China do, because actually enforcing anything usually involves something that ends up requiring some kind of action that will require Security Council approval?
Yes.
The point of the UN is not to be a world government. It is to be a forum for the five major power victors of WWII to coordinate things.
Okay, that’s a bit flippant, but it’s mostly true.
There is a lot of discussion about how illogical it is that, for example, India or Japan aren’t permanent members and how the UN should be reformed. IMO this misses the point. If you made the structure more “fair”, the powerful countries would simply not bother participating. International relations are mostly based on power, not fairness.
I could set up a perfectly fair world government in my living room tomorrow, but it’s unlikely that anyone would follow its edicts.
To the extent it was true, that model got overturned due to Korea which demonstrated that it could not work and that the UN would fail utterly without a workaround for veto-induced paralysis; such a workaround was adopted in 1950 and has been used several times since (first notable use being to bypass the Anglo-French veto of a UN cease-fire and peacekeeping force in the Suez crisis in 1956.
This is interesting, and if true it challenges my understanding of how the UN works significantly. Can you elaborate?
I'll defer to Wikipedia for further elaboration:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assem...
No, the fact that they are world power backed up by the US and a number of other major powers in most things usually means that, though.
Facing the potential of Soviet veto producing a Security Council deadlock in the Korean War era, the US came up with a solution to that which was adopted in A/RES/377A (3 Nov 1950), the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, under which the General Assembly makes recommendations for coordinated action in the event of a Security Council deadlock. This has been invoked roughly a dozen times since, and effectively provides a General Assembly route around Security Council vetoes.
The first use outside the context of Korea (in the 1956 Suez crisis) was against a UK/France joint veto in the Security Council.
Not saying you are incorrect, but I got the impression from your comment that 377A had something to do with the initial UN action in the Korean War, so context for anyone else that got that impression:
The UN involvement in the Korean War was authorized by Resolution 83[1] and Resolution 84[2] and the votes were held while the Soviet Union vetoed the security council because China's seat was held by the ROC, not PRC. 377A was a way to prevent vetoes from blocking future action in that and coming conflicts.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Counci...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Counci...
The UK paid Mauritius £3m for the islands. Mauritius was happy with the deal.
How is there anything illegal about it?
Legality isn't the issue here, it's morality.
That said I think there is some evidence of potentially criminal activity in the treatment of those living on the islands. John Pilger famously made a documentary about it.
So if I pay your govt 3 million (or 3 billion (or 3 trillion)) in exchange I get to deport you, your family and everyone you know to wherever I want? Legal yeah?
Was the Louisiana Purchase not legal?
It's not legal to sell something you don't own.