Available online
Description
Surprisingly little is known about the UN Security Council, yet it is in fact the executive body of the United Nations. Its decisions are officially binding on all UN member states, whereas General... Assembly Resolutions are only recommendations. Until the end of the 1980s, the capacity of the Security Council to fulfill its mandate was severely limited by the use of the veto by the US and the Soviet Union, but this has now changed. The programme will examine the possibility that the Council might take the kind of global governance role that some of the founding fathers of the UN envisaged. It will ask if it is significant that the Security Council's five permanent members formally export more weapons than any other countries, when the first article of the UN charter suggests that its role is to promote global security? The programme will overview the history of the Security Council, and explain its role within the structure of the UN, focusing in particular on Britain's role.
Surprisingly little is known about the UN Security Council, yet it is in fact the executive body of the United Nations. Its decisions are officially binding on all UN member states, whereas General... Assembly Resolutions are only recommendations. Until the end of the 1980s, the capacity of the Security Council to fulfill its mandate was severely limited by the use of the veto by the US and the Soviet Union, but this has now changed. The programme will examine the possibility that the Council might take the kind of global governance role that some of the founding fathers of the UN envisaged. It will ask if it is significant that the Security Council's five permanent members formally export more weapons than any other countries, when the first article of the UN charter suggests that its role is to promote global security? The programme will overview the history of the Security Council, and explain its role within the structure of the UN, focusing in particular on Britain's role.
| Series: | Technology Faculty Radio; Series 3 |
|---|---|
| Episode | 7 |
| First transmission date: | 1999-05-23 |
| Original broadcast channel: | Radio 4 |
| Published: | 1999 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:29:52 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Simon Lawson |
| Contributors: | Tim Allen; Kadidia Traore; Olara Otunnu; Dr Dieter Kastrup; Dumisani Kumalo; Nancy Soderberg; Jeremy Greenstock |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Master spool number: | 98YT0353 |
| Production number: | T008_07 |
| Available to public: | no |
