Admission of New Members

By Joon Lee, Korea International School

What comes to mind when the words, "United Nations Security Council" are heard? "Power!" one might say. Indeed, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is responsible for many of the important decisions and roles of the UN. Its powers are outlined in the United Nations Charter: the establishment of peace-making operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization for military action. The Security Council practices its power through passing resolutions. Resolutions are not easy to pass because there are five permanent members in the UNSC that have veto power. They include the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and France - these five countries represent the world's superpowers. The world has changed dramatically, and with this big a change, an even greater result should follow - a result such as adding new permanent members to the UNSC.
Japan and India are possible candidates for this great change. According to the CIA World Factbook, these two candidate countries both have higher GDPs than those of three of the current permanent member countries (Russia, the United Kingdom, and France). The two candidates are without a doubt influential countries that may be considered to be new members of the Security Council. But although these countries may be qualified, the admission of new members can cause controversy because there are no definite guidelines for selecting new members. Most countries desire to join the council due to the amount of political clout they might gain. However, certain countries may protest a country's admission due to international disputes.
Japan has struggled with continuing conflicts with neighboring countries, issues including tensions between Japan and North Korea due to kidnapping incidents. According to an article by USA Today titled "North Korea agrees to release family of kidnapped Japanese," "Tokyo announced in October 2000 that it was donating 500,000 tons of rice to North Korea through the United Nations, but has not sent food aid since then because of the nuclear and abductions issues." Therefore, North Korea would definitely not approve of Japan's becoming a permanent member of the UNSC. In addition, Japan has also had problems with South Korea, involving Japan's denial of military prostitution of Korean women during World War II and an ongoing dispute over an islet called Dokdo. China, one of the Security Council members, would definitely disapprove of Japan's admission. One of the main reasons is Japan's alleged failure to teach their young generation about the atrocities that China had to suffer due to the Japanese invasion during WWII. Some believe that the Japanese government distorted their history textbook, which angered both South Korea and China. These three countries respresent three roadlblocks likely to deny Japan's admission.
India has support from most of the countries in the United Nations, thanks to its generally good relationship with foreign nations. However, there are two major countries that may refuse to support India - Pakistan is not a great supporter of the nation because of the unfriendly relationship that has formed over Kashmir. In addition, India has helped East Pakistan (current-day Bangladesh) fight for their independence since 1971. India maintained a good relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and signed the Indo-Soviet Twenty Year Friendship Treaty. Therefore, the relationship between the United States and India has been cold ever since. Although most countries support India, without the agreement of all permanent members of the UNSC, India's admission cannot be passed.
The admission of new members into the UNSC is not only difficult to accomplish, but also unprecedented. Although Japan and India could make good candidates, not all representatives of the United Nations may agree. Also, admitting new members may not be the best idea because it would make passing resolutions even harder , with too many members that hold the power to veto.