SECURITY COUNCIL 
UNITED NATIONS 
 

The  Security  Council  has  primary  responsibility,  under  the  United  Nations 
Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. 

Composition 

● Security Council shall be composed of 15 members 

● 5 permanent members = China, France, Russsia, USA, & UK 

● Non-permanent  members  =  10  other  members  to  be  elected  by  General  Assembly 
for  two  year  terms.  (Belgium,  Ivory  Coast,  Dominican  Republic,  Equatorial  Guinea, 
Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, & South Africa) 

Functions 

● to  maintain  international  peace  &  security  in  accordance  w/  the  principles  and 
purposes of UN 

● to investigate any dispute which might lead to international friction 

● to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement 

● to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments 

● to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. 

● to  call  on  Members  to  apply  economic  sanctions  and  other  measures  involving  the 
use of force to prevent aggression. 

● to take military action against the aggressor. 

● to recommend admission of New Members. 

● to exercise trusteeship functions of UN in strategic areas 

● to  recommend  to  the  General  Assembly  the  appointment  of  Secretary-General  to 
elect the judges of ICJ  

 
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Voting 

● Yalta Formula – each member shall have 1 vote 

● Procedural matters = the votes of at least 9 out of 15 members is required 

● Substantive  matters  =  the  vote  of  at  least  9  out  of  15  members  is  required  w/  the 
concurring  votes  of  ALL  5  permanent  members.  (Veto  power/Great  Power 
Unanimity rule) 

Note: I​ f there’s a conflict between procedural and substantive, substantive would govern. 

Preventive Action 

● intended to stop armed conflicts before they escalate to widespread violence 

Preventive measures: 

1. conflict early warning 

2. fact-finding 

3. confidence building measures 

4. early deployment 

5. humanitarian assistance 

6. demiliatrized zones 

Enforcement Action 
● Use  of  non-military  and  military  measures  to  give  effect  to  Security  Council’s 
decision 

Non-military Measures under Chapter VII, Article 41 of the U.N. Charter 

Article  41.  The  Security  Council  may  decide  what  measures  not  involving  the  use  of 
armed  force  are  to  be  employed  to  give  effect  to  its  decisions,  and  it  may  call  upon 
the  Members  of  the  United  Nations  to  apply  such  measures.  These  may  include 
complete  or  partial  interruption  of  economic  relations  and  of  rail,  sea,  air,  postal, 
telegraphic,  radio,  and  other  means  of  communication,  and  the  severance  of 
diplomatic relations. 

 
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Article  41  talks  about  the  authority  given  to  the  Security  Council  to  impose  economic  and 
diplomatic sanctions against a number of states. 

Diplomatic  Sanctions  - political measures taken to express disapproval or displeasure at a 

certain action through diplomatic and political means. 

Examples:  Limitations  or  cancellations  of  high-level  government  visits,  expelling  or 
withdrawing diplomatic missions or staff 

Economic  Sanctions  -    are  commercial  and  financial  penalties  applied  by  one  or  more 
countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. 

Examples:  Import  duties  on  goods,  blocking  the  export  of  certain  goods  from  the 
target country, bans on key commodities like petroleum 

Military Sanctions under Chapter VII, Article 42 of U.N. Charter 

Article  42.  Should  the  Security  Council consider that measures provided for in Article 
41  would  be  inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by 
air,  sea,  or  land  forces  as  may  be  necessary  to  maintain  or  restore  international 
peace  and  security.  Such  action  may  include  demonstrations,  blockade,  and  other 
operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations. 

Under  this  provision,  the  Security  Council  has  the  power  to  order  the  use  of  force  to 
maintain  peace  and  security,  provided  that  the  measures  under  Art.  41  would  be 
inadequate or have proved to be inadequate. 

Examples of military sanctions: 

● Blockade 

● collective military action 

● Security  Council  has  delegated  its  Chapter  VII  powers  to  member  states  who 
volunteered their forces to carry out the enforcement action. 

Obligations of member states to U.N. under Article 43(1), Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter: 

(1) All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the maintenance 
of  international  peace  and  security,  undertake  to  make  available  to  the 
Security  Council,  on  its  call  and  in  accordance  with  a  special  agreement  or 
agreements,  armed  forces,  assistance,  and  facilities,  including  rights  of 

 
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passage,  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  international  peace  and 
security. 

Domestic Jurisdiction Clause 

General  Rule:  As  long  as  the  matter  remains  internal,  the  same  cannot  be  the  subject  of 
intervention by U.N. (Art. 2[7] of the U.N. Charter) 

Exceptions:  

1. Where  internal  conflict  aggravates  into  threat  or  an  actual  breach  of  international 
peace and security 

2. Parties  voluntarily  invoke  and  submit  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  U.N.  for  the 
settlement of their dispute 

3. Self-Defense  under  Article  51  of  the  U.N.  Charter  which  states  that  nothing  in  the 
present  Charter  shall  impair  the  inherent  right  of  self-defense  or  collective 
self-defense ​if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations 

What  can  a  member  of  the  United  Nations  do  if  an  armed  attack  was 
employed against it? 
1. Doctrine of Self-Help / Self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter 

U.N.  may  intervene  when  internal  conflict  aggravates  into  threat  or  an  actual  breach  of 
international peace and security. The following are the actions that will be taken by U.N.: 

1. Preventive Action 

2. Enforcement Action: 

2.1. Economic  and  Diplomatic  Sanctions,  and  if  such  measures  would  be 
inadequate or have proved to be inadequate 

2.2. Military Sanctions 

3. Collective Military Action 

   

 
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USE OF FORCE 
● General  Principle:  International  law  recognizes  the  autonomy  of  individual  states 
and their right to freedom from coercion and to the integrity of their territory. 

● Controlled by both international customary law and by treaty law 

● Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter provides that: 

All  members  shall  refrain  in  their  international  relations  from  the  threat 
or  use of force against the territorial integrity or politics independence of 
any  state,  or  in  any  other  manner  inconsistent  with  the  purposes  of  the 
United Nations. 

● Not  always  unlawful;  use  of  force  under  Articles  42  and  51  are 
considered lawful use of force 

Doctrine of Self-Help 
● Refers  to individuals’ implementation of their rights without resorting to legal writ or 
consultation of higher authority. 

● It  is  the  inherent  right  of  individual  or  collective  self-defence  if  an  armed  attack 
occurs 

● It is subject to the conditions of necessity and proportionality 

● “There  is  a  specific  rule  whereby  self-defence  would  warrant  only  measures  which 
are  proportional  to  the  armed  attack  and  necessary  to  respond  to  it,  a  rule 
well-established in international customary law.” 

● In  order  to  be  lawful,  it  must  meet  the  requirements  of the law applicable in armed 
conflict which comprise in particular the principles and rules of humanitarian law. 

THREAT OF FORCE 
● It  refers  to  when  a  country  demands that another country follow an agreement or a 
set  of  rules  for  fear  of  retribution.  The  act  of  forcing  another  party  to  agree  on  an 
international level due to duress is considered threat of force 

● Most  typical  form  of  this  threat  is  the  ultimatum  in  which  the  State  to  which  it  is 
addressed  is  given  a  time-limit  within  which  to  accept  the  demands  made  upon  it 
and  is told that, if it rejects the demand, war will be declared on it or certain coercive 

 
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measures  such  as  naval  blockade,  bombardment,  or occupation of a given territory, 

will be taken 

● In  order  to  lessen  or  eliminate  the  risk  of  unlawful  attack,  states  sometimes  signal 
that  they  possess  certain  weapons  to  use  in  self-defence  against  any state violating 
their territorial integrity or political independence 

○ If  it  is  to  be lawful, the declared readiness of a state to use of force must be a 

use of force that is in conformity with the Charter 

INDIVIDUAL  AND  COLLECTIVE  SELF  DEFENSE/ANTICIPATORY  SELF 

DEFENSE 
Article  51  of  UN  Charter-  Nothing  in  the  present  Charter  shall  impair  the  inherent  right  of 
individual  or  collective  self-defense  if  any armed attack occurs against a member of the UN 
until  the  Security  Council  has  taken  the  measure  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of 
international peace. 

Conditions in the proper exercise of individual self-defense: 

1. There must be an armed attack 

2. Self-defensive  action  taken  by  the  attacked  state  must  be  reported  immediately  to 
Security Council. 

3. Such  action  shall  not  affect  the  right  of  Security  Council  to  take  such  action  as  it 
deems necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. 

Exercise of the right to self defense is available to all state, whether a member of UN or not. 

Conditions of Collective Self Defense: 

1. Armed attack 

2. Victim state must form and declare the view that it has been so attacked. 

3. Use  of  self-defense  by  the  third  State  for  the  benefit  of  the  attacked  State  depends 
on a request addressed by that State to the third State. 

Collective self defense is a valuable protection for weaker states. 

Basis of Collective Self Defense: 

 
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1. Article 51 of UN Charter 

2. Article  52,  Section  1:  Nothing  in  the  present  Charter  precludes  the  existence  of 
regional  arrangements  or  agencies  for  dealing  with  such  matters  relating  to  the 
maintenance  of  international  peace  and  security  as  are  appropriate  for  regional 
action,  provided  that  such  arrangements  or  agencies  and  their  activities  are 
consistent with the Purposes and Principles of United Nations. 

Regional Arrangements on Collective Self Defense: 

1. Organization of American States 

2. North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

3. Warsaw Pact 

4. Southeast Asian Treaty Organization 

Conditions of Anticipatory Self Defense 

1. Necessity-  there  must  be  clear  and  present  danger  of  an  imminent  attack  and  not 
mere general preparations by the enemy. 

2. Proportionality-  approximation/proportionate  between  the  conduct constituting the 

armed force and the opposing force. 

3. Immediacy- the threat of force should take place immediately. 

Coercive Measures 
Retorsion-  Unfriendly  but  unlawful,  coercive  acts  done  in  retaliation  for  the  unfair 
treatment and acts of discrimination of another state. 

Reprisal-  Unfriendly  and  unlawful  acts  in  retaliation  for  reciprocal  unlawful  acts of another 
state. 

Examples of Reprisal 

Embargo- forcible detention of the vessels and other property of the offending state. 

Pacific  blockade-  prevention  of  entry  to  or  exit  from  the  ports  of  the  offending  state  of  its 
means of communication and transportation 

 
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Non-intercourse-  suspension  of  all  intercourse  with  the  offending  state  particularly  trade 
and commerce 

Boycott-  suspension  of  commercial  relations  with  the  offending  state  (refusal  to  purchase 
goods) 

 
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