The United Nations Security Council in the post cold war era : applying the principle of legality The United Nations Security Council is meant to be the central international organ for maintaining international peace and security and it has a profound impact on the rights and duties of states under international law. However it has been severely criticized throughout its existence. This book examines the role of international law in its decisions and decision making process since the end of the Cold War with the principle of legality as theoretical framework. It explores the limits that international law places on the Security Council i.e. what it is allowed to demand of and impose on