Reviving the Obligatory Abstention Rule in the UN Security Council: Reform from the Inside Out
Journal: Otago University Research Archive (University of Otago)
Year: 2014

The decision-making protocol for the United Nations (UN) Security Council follows the Charter of the United Nations, which states that decisions of the Council “shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.” This so-called veto power bestowed by the UN Charter on the Council’s five permanent states has acted as a significant impediment in the Council’s ability to address recent conflicts in Syria, Gaza, Georgia, Crimea and eastern U