The
veto power of the five permanent members of the UN has been used to shield
aggressors from accountability for decades and has prevented the organization
from applying its founding principles.
By Fareed Khan
By Fareed Khan
A version of this article can also be found on Substack.
As the 23rd month of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza approaches, the United Nations (UN), created in 1945 to prevent such atrocities and uphold global peace, stands exposed as a hollow institution, unable to do the job for which it was created. In a Harvard published study based on Israeli military data, Israeli academic Yaakov Garb estimates that 377,000 to 400,000 Palestinians are missing and presumed dead. This catastrophic loss of life underscores the UN’s abject failure to enforce its own Charter and conventions, particularly the Genocide Convention, which obligates states to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.
The veto power of
the five permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) members—the United States,
Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France—paralyzes the UN, allowing
powerful nations and their allies to perpetrate international crimes with
impunity. The UN’s inability to halt state-sponsored aggression, exemplified by
Israel’s genocide in Gaza, mirrors the collapse of the League of Nations’ in the 1930s, when it failed
to curb Japan, Italy, and Germany’s violations of international law. Global
political and economic conditions today echo circumstances of the 1930s—a
deteriorating geopolitical situation and economic turmoil. In this context, and
the UN’s historic inability to reign in its members when they have committed
genocidal crimes (Rwanda, Rohingya, Uyghurs), the UN’s
structural flaws render it irrelevant in confronting atrocities committed by
states like Israel.
The UN’s structural paralysis: The veto power
The UN Security Council, tasked with maintaining international peace, is hamstrung by the veto power of its five permanent members (P5). This mechanism, originally meant to ensure great power consensus, has instead been used to shield aggressors from accountability, including the five permanent members themselves. American scholar Stephen Zunes, who specializes in Middle-East politics and US foreign policy, argues that the violations of UNSC resolutions by the US and its allies are in breach of the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions, and demonstrate the double standards used in selectively enforcing resolutions against American adversaries but not its allies. Since the 1970s the US has vetoed over 50 resolutions critical of Israel, repeatedly blocking UN intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Russia and China have similarly vetoed resolutions targeting their allies, preventing action, as in the case of Syria during its civil war. This echoes the League of Nations’ failure to enforce sanctions against Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria or Italy’s 1935 conquest of Ethiopia, where weak responses emboldened aggressors.
Gaza: A case study in UN failure
Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023 exemplify the UN’s impotence. A 2024 UN Special Committee report found that Israel’s warfare, including mass civilian casualties, starvation policies, and destruction of infrastructure, is “consistent with the characteristics of genocide.” The report documented over 52,535 deaths by May 2025, with 70% being women and children, and notes Israel’s deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures in January 2024, ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts, but Israel has ignored these rulings without consequence. The UN General Assembly has also passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire, but US vetoes in the Security Council render them unenforceable. The role of the US veto in preventing the implementation of a UN backed ceasefire has allowed Israel’s genocide of Palestinians to continue, while the world and the UN are powerless to act.
This mirrors the League of Nations’ failure to counter Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, where symbolic sanctions excluded critical oil exports due to great power resistance. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s 2024 report, Anatomy of a Genocide, argues that Israel’s actions meet the legal threshold for genocide, yet the UN’s inaction “emboldens further violations.” The UN’s failure to enforce ICJ rulings or provide humanitarian protection in Gaza, due opposition by a member of the P5, highlights its inability to confront powerful states or their allies, a systemic flaw rooted in the veto power.
Historical parallels to the League of Nations
The UN’s continual failures recalls the League of Nations’ collapse in the 1930s. While the League was established to prevent aggression by its members it lacked enforcement mechanisms and relied on great power consensus, a situation similar to that facing the UN. Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria prompted a League investigation, and when the report was tabled it condemned the actions of the Japanese. The conclusions of the report, which the Japanese delegation rejected, resulted in Japan withdrawing from the organization. Similarly, the League was ineffective in resolving the crisis around Italy’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia. The military campaign was marked by the use of chemical weapons and civilian massacres, and was met with weak sanctions, which were undermined by France and Britain’s appeasement policies. The inability of the League to enforce international law was amplified when Nazi Germany annexed Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, further exposing the organization’s impotence, paving the way for World War II. The League’s inability to act against aggressors not only emboldened further aggression but also rendered it useless at preserving international political stability, a dynamic replicated in the UN’s paralysis today.
The UN’s inability to confront P5 members or their allies mirrors the failures of the League of Nations in the 1930s. Today the US veto shields Israel from accountability over its crimes against Palestinians, just as Britain and France protected Italy in the 1930s. Russia’s vetoes block action on its aggression in Ukraine, where over 13,800 civilians have been killed since 2022. China’s vetoes prevent scrutiny of its abuses against Uyghur Muslims, labelled crimes against humanity by Amnesty International. While India’s policies in Kashmir, including mass detentions and extrajudicial killings since 2019, have been described as potential crimes against humanity. And yet the UN fails to act due to a systemic flaw where crimes are committed with impunity due to the veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Beyond Gaza: A pattern of impunity
Of course the UN’s failures extend beyond Gaza. The US-led war in Iraq, based on lies about weapons of mass destruction, resulted in close to 300,000 dead, with some putting the death toll at over 900,000. The actions of the US and its allies destabilized the region and resulted in the rise of the “Islamic state”, and yet the UN imposed no sanctions. The 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, authorized by the UN under the Responsibility to Protect doctrine (R2P), exceeded its mandate, leading to that nation becoming a failed state and an incubator for terrorist groups. Furthermore, in Yemen, air strikes by Saudi Arabia, backed by the US since 2015, caused over 377,000 civilian deaths, with no UN action against either nation.
Additionally, China’s imprisonment of over one million Uyghurs in concentration camps, involving forced labour and sterilization, has been documented by a 2022 UN report, but China’s veto power blocks Security Council action on the matter. In the South China Sea, China’s militarization of disputed islands and creation of islands in contested waters, violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, yet the UN has issued no sanctions.
The ongoing decline of the UN is furthered when repressive governments around the world see leading democracies violate the rights of their own citizens. Such actions result in leaders of anti-democratic nations justifying their own repressive measures and weakening the international laws and institutions under the UN meant to protect human rights.
Historical failures: Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Rohingya
When it comes to failures the UN’s track record includes a list of crises where lives and societies have been destroyed. The 1994 Rwandan genocide, which killed over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, occurred despite the presence of UN peacekeepers, with the Security Council refusing intervention due to veto threats. The 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed under UN watch, also exposed the organization’s inability to protect civilians. And the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, with over 700,000 displaced since 2017, has seen no effective UN response despite ICJ rulings. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan admitted these failures stem from a lack of political will, a view echoed by genocide scholar Gregory Stanton (founder of Genocide Watch), who blames the UN’s paralysis on an unwillingness by P5 nations to give power to the UN that might end up being used against them at some point.
The human cost and moral imperative
The human toll of the UN’s inaction is staggering. In Gaza, entire family lines have been erased, and communities have been wiped off the map, with hospitals, schools, and homes reduced to rubble. Survivors face starvation and disease orchestrated by Israel, with no safe haven. The psychological trauma on children, who constitute nearly half of Gaza’s population, will reverberate for generations to come. Similarly, in Ukraine, Uyghur camps, and Kashmir, millions suffer under the UN’s gaze, their pleas for justice going unanswered. The UN’s failure to act not only betrays its founding principles but also erodes trust in international institutions, fuelling global instability.
A path forward: Reform or replacement
The UN’s inability to prevent atrocities stems from its structural flaws and lack of enforcement power, which is a direct result of the P5 veto. Reform proposals have included limiting the veto through the 1950 Uniting for Peace resolution, which allows the General Assembly to act when the Security Council is paralyzed. A General Conference under Article 109 could amend the veto system, though P5 resistance makes this challenging. Alternatively, an international police force under the International Criminal Court could execute arrest warrants for atrocity crimes, bypassing Security Council gridlock. Regional organizations, like the African Union or the Organization of American States, could also assume greater responsibility for conflict prevention, reducing reliance on a paralyzed UN.
Without reform, the UN risks becoming a relic, and go the way of the League of Nations. The crisis in Gaza, where the UN has failed to enforce ICJ rulings or protect civilians, underscores this urgency. The international order championed by Western nations lies in tatters, as a direct result of their actions, as the UN stands by while powerful states commit atrocities. To fulfill its promise of preventing war and genocide, the UN must evolve into an institution capable of holding all nations accountable, regardless of their power.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
The UN’s structural paralysis: The veto power
The UN Security Council, tasked with maintaining international peace, is hamstrung by the veto power of its five permanent members (P5). This mechanism, originally meant to ensure great power consensus, has instead been used to shield aggressors from accountability, including the five permanent members themselves. American scholar Stephen Zunes, who specializes in Middle-East politics and US foreign policy, argues that the violations of UNSC resolutions by the US and its allies are in breach of the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions, and demonstrate the double standards used in selectively enforcing resolutions against American adversaries but not its allies. Since the 1970s the US has vetoed over 50 resolutions critical of Israel, repeatedly blocking UN intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Russia and China have similarly vetoed resolutions targeting their allies, preventing action, as in the case of Syria during its civil war. This echoes the League of Nations’ failure to enforce sanctions against Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria or Italy’s 1935 conquest of Ethiopia, where weak responses emboldened aggressors.
Gaza: A case study in UN failure
Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023 exemplify the UN’s impotence. A 2024 UN Special Committee report found that Israel’s warfare, including mass civilian casualties, starvation policies, and destruction of infrastructure, is “consistent with the characteristics of genocide.” The report documented over 52,535 deaths by May 2025, with 70% being women and children, and notes Israel’s deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures in January 2024, ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts, but Israel has ignored these rulings without consequence. The UN General Assembly has also passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire, but US vetoes in the Security Council render them unenforceable. The role of the US veto in preventing the implementation of a UN backed ceasefire has allowed Israel’s genocide of Palestinians to continue, while the world and the UN are powerless to act.
This mirrors the League of Nations’ failure to counter Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, where symbolic sanctions excluded critical oil exports due to great power resistance. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s 2024 report, Anatomy of a Genocide, argues that Israel’s actions meet the legal threshold for genocide, yet the UN’s inaction “emboldens further violations.” The UN’s failure to enforce ICJ rulings or provide humanitarian protection in Gaza, due opposition by a member of the P5, highlights its inability to confront powerful states or their allies, a systemic flaw rooted in the veto power.
Historical parallels to the League of Nations
The UN’s continual failures recalls the League of Nations’ collapse in the 1930s. While the League was established to prevent aggression by its members it lacked enforcement mechanisms and relied on great power consensus, a situation similar to that facing the UN. Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria prompted a League investigation, and when the report was tabled it condemned the actions of the Japanese. The conclusions of the report, which the Japanese delegation rejected, resulted in Japan withdrawing from the organization. Similarly, the League was ineffective in resolving the crisis around Italy’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia. The military campaign was marked by the use of chemical weapons and civilian massacres, and was met with weak sanctions, which were undermined by France and Britain’s appeasement policies. The inability of the League to enforce international law was amplified when Nazi Germany annexed Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, further exposing the organization’s impotence, paving the way for World War II. The League’s inability to act against aggressors not only emboldened further aggression but also rendered it useless at preserving international political stability, a dynamic replicated in the UN’s paralysis today.
The UN’s inability to confront P5 members or their allies mirrors the failures of the League of Nations in the 1930s. Today the US veto shields Israel from accountability over its crimes against Palestinians, just as Britain and France protected Italy in the 1930s. Russia’s vetoes block action on its aggression in Ukraine, where over 13,800 civilians have been killed since 2022. China’s vetoes prevent scrutiny of its abuses against Uyghur Muslims, labelled crimes against humanity by Amnesty International. While India’s policies in Kashmir, including mass detentions and extrajudicial killings since 2019, have been described as potential crimes against humanity. And yet the UN fails to act due to a systemic flaw where crimes are committed with impunity due to the veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Beyond Gaza: A pattern of impunity
Of course the UN’s failures extend beyond Gaza. The US-led war in Iraq, based on lies about weapons of mass destruction, resulted in close to 300,000 dead, with some putting the death toll at over 900,000. The actions of the US and its allies destabilized the region and resulted in the rise of the “Islamic state”, and yet the UN imposed no sanctions. The 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, authorized by the UN under the Responsibility to Protect doctrine (R2P), exceeded its mandate, leading to that nation becoming a failed state and an incubator for terrorist groups. Furthermore, in Yemen, air strikes by Saudi Arabia, backed by the US since 2015, caused over 377,000 civilian deaths, with no UN action against either nation.
Additionally, China’s imprisonment of over one million Uyghurs in concentration camps, involving forced labour and sterilization, has been documented by a 2022 UN report, but China’s veto power blocks Security Council action on the matter. In the South China Sea, China’s militarization of disputed islands and creation of islands in contested waters, violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, yet the UN has issued no sanctions.
The ongoing decline of the UN is furthered when repressive governments around the world see leading democracies violate the rights of their own citizens. Such actions result in leaders of anti-democratic nations justifying their own repressive measures and weakening the international laws and institutions under the UN meant to protect human rights.
Historical failures: Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Rohingya
When it comes to failures the UN’s track record includes a list of crises where lives and societies have been destroyed. The 1994 Rwandan genocide, which killed over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, occurred despite the presence of UN peacekeepers, with the Security Council refusing intervention due to veto threats. The 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed under UN watch, also exposed the organization’s inability to protect civilians. And the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, with over 700,000 displaced since 2017, has seen no effective UN response despite ICJ rulings. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan admitted these failures stem from a lack of political will, a view echoed by genocide scholar Gregory Stanton (founder of Genocide Watch), who blames the UN’s paralysis on an unwillingness by P5 nations to give power to the UN that might end up being used against them at some point.
The human cost and moral imperative
The human toll of the UN’s inaction is staggering. In Gaza, entire family lines have been erased, and communities have been wiped off the map, with hospitals, schools, and homes reduced to rubble. Survivors face starvation and disease orchestrated by Israel, with no safe haven. The psychological trauma on children, who constitute nearly half of Gaza’s population, will reverberate for generations to come. Similarly, in Ukraine, Uyghur camps, and Kashmir, millions suffer under the UN’s gaze, their pleas for justice going unanswered. The UN’s failure to act not only betrays its founding principles but also erodes trust in international institutions, fuelling global instability.
A path forward: Reform or replacement
The UN’s inability to prevent atrocities stems from its structural flaws and lack of enforcement power, which is a direct result of the P5 veto. Reform proposals have included limiting the veto through the 1950 Uniting for Peace resolution, which allows the General Assembly to act when the Security Council is paralyzed. A General Conference under Article 109 could amend the veto system, though P5 resistance makes this challenging. Alternatively, an international police force under the International Criminal Court could execute arrest warrants for atrocity crimes, bypassing Security Council gridlock. Regional organizations, like the African Union or the Organization of American States, could also assume greater responsibility for conflict prevention, reducing reliance on a paralyzed UN.
Without reform, the UN risks becoming a relic, and go the way of the League of Nations. The crisis in Gaza, where the UN has failed to enforce ICJ rulings or protect civilians, underscores this urgency. The international order championed by Western nations lies in tatters, as a direct result of their actions, as the UN stands by while powerful states commit atrocities. To fulfill its promise of preventing war and genocide, the UN must evolve into an institution capable of holding all nations accountable, regardless of their power.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
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