The United Nations Security Council War
The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945
Published on 5. June 2008
Book
Hardback
816 pages
978-0-19-953343-5 (ISBN)
Description
This is the first major exploration of the United Nations Security Council's part in addressing the problem of war, both civil and international, since 1945. Both during and after the Cold War the Council has acted in a limited and selective manner, and its work has sometimes resulted in failure. It has not been - and was never equipped to be - the centre of a comprehensive system of collective security. However, it remains the body charged with primary responsibility for international peace and security. It offers unique opportunities for international consultation and military collaboration, and for developing legal and normative frameworks. It has played a part in the reduction in the incidence of international war in the period since 1945. This study examines the extent to which the work of the UN Security Council, as it has evolved, has or has not replaced older systems of power politics and practices regarding the use of force. Its starting point is the failure to implement the UN Charter scheme of having combat forces under direct UN command.Instead, the Council has advanced the use of international peacekeeping forces; it has authorized coalitions of states to take military action; and it has developed some unanticipated roles such as the establishment of post-conflict transitional administrations, international criminal tribunals, and anti-terrorism committees.
The book, bringing together distinguished scholars and practitioners, draws on the methods of the lawyer, the historian, the student of international relations, and the practitioner. It begins with an introductory overview of the Council's evolving roles and responsibilities. It then discusses specific thematic issues, and through a wide range of case studies examines the scope and limitations of the Council's involvement in war. It offers frank accounts of how belligerents viewed the UN, and how the Council acted and sometimes failed to act. The appendices provide comprehensive information - much of it not previously brought together in this form - of the extraordinary range of the Council's activities. This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.
The book, bringing together distinguished scholars and practitioners, draws on the methods of the lawyer, the historian, the student of international relations, and the practitioner. It begins with an introductory overview of the Council's evolving roles and responsibilities. It then discusses specific thematic issues, and through a wide range of case studies examines the scope and limitations of the Council's involvement in war. It offers frank accounts of how belligerents viewed the UN, and how the Council acted and sometimes failed to act. The appendices provide comprehensive information - much of it not previously brought together in this form - of the extraordinary range of the Council's activities. This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.
Reviews / Votes
A definitive interdisciplinary work on an important subject ... The depth of knowledge and experience provides fascinating and essential reading for anyone interested in the area of international peace and security, regardless of their disciplinary background and whether practitioner or academic Christian Henderson in International and Comparative Law Quarterly The United Nations Security Council and War is an essential work, full of astute observations. Set apart by the wealth of ideas and diversity of viewpoints, this edited collection provides a seminal and well-balanced account of the Security Council's dealing with war since 1945. Robin Geiss in German Yearbook of International Law a magnificent achievement... this book will stand out as an indispensable tool in the vast literature on the UN Security Council, set apart by the quality of its research, the wealth of extensive and carefully researched data it contains, as well as the diversity of viewpoints it offers. Professor Gilles Andreani in Survival An incredible achievement, magisterial and definitive. This is an essential work on anyone's bookshelf. Professor Lawrence Freedman, June 2008 this excellent edited collection ... consistently high standard we should not forget that for better or worse the UN can only work well when its Great Powers work together. Analysts and policy-makers alike would be better prepared to bring this about if they read this important new book. Professor Paul Williams, International Affairs This substantial, comprehensive, and authoritative volume contains 28 chapters by leading academics, lawyers, and practitioners, plus detailed appendices covering UN resolutions, sanctions, and operations. Foreign Affairs, December 2008More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 253 mm
Width: 177 mm
Thickness: 47 mm
Weight
1572 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-953343-5 (9780199533435)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
LOWE | Roberts | Welsh
The United Nations Security Council and War
The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945
Book
04/2010
Oxford University Press
€95.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
1. Introduction; PART I: THE FRAMEWORK; 2. A Council for All Seasons: The Creation of the Security Council and Its Relevance Today; 3. The Charter Limitations on the Use of Force: Theory and Practice; 4. Proposals for UN Standing Forces: A Critical History; PART II: THE ROLES OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL; 5. The Great Powers and the Security Council; 6. The Security Council, the General Assembly, and War: The Uniting for Peace Resolution; 7. The Security Council and Peacekeeping; 8. The Sanctions Era: Themes and Trends in UN Security Council Sanctions since 1990; 9. The Authorization by the Security Council of Regional Arrangements to Use Force: The Case of NATO; 10. The Security Council in the Post-Cold War World; PART III: CASE STUDIES; 11. The United Nations, the Security Council, and the Korean War; 12. The Suez Crisis and the British Dilemma at the United Nations; 13. The Security Council and the Arab-Israeli Wars: Responsibility without Power; 14. The Security Council and the India-Pakistan Wars; 15. The Security Council and the Question of East Timor'; 16. The Security Council and the Iran-Iraq War; 17. The Security Council and the 1991 and 2003 Iraq Wars; 18. The Security Council and the Wars in the former Yugoslavia; 19. The Security Council and the Bosnia Conflict: A Practitioner's View; 20. The Security Council and Afghanistan; 21. The Security Council and Three Wars in West Africa; 22. The Security Council in the Wings: Exploring the Non-Involvement of the Security Council in Wars; PART IV: THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF WAR; 23. The Different Functions of the Security Council with Respect to Humanitarian Law; 24. The Security Council and Interventions with Humanitarian Purposes; 25. The Security Council and International Administration of War-Torn and Contested Territories; 26. The Security Council and International Law on Military Occupations; 27. The Security Council and Terrorism; 28. The Security Council and the Use of Private Force; Appendices; 1. UN Peacekeeping Operations, 1945 - 2006; 2. UN Forces, Missions, and Institutions not Classified as Peacekeeping Operations, 1945 - 2006; 3. UN-Authorized Military Operations, 1945 - 2006; 4. UN-Authorized Sanctions, 1945 - 2006; 5. Vetoed Security Council Resolutions, 1945 - 2006; 6. Uses of the Uniting for Peace Resolution, 1950 - 2006; 7. List of Armed Conflicts and Crises, 1945 - 2006