In my point of view, I would recommend a change in the structure of the membership. At present, the permanent membership is comprised of five states that include France, the United States, Russia, China, and the United Kingdom (Sievers 14). In the council, ten non-permanent members are nominated by the general assembly to work for a term of two years. The commission is made up of 15 member states. I would recommend that the membership structure is changed to comprise of several states which are not included in the existing arrangement. The presidency of the UN Security Council should be based on a democratic election and not according to the alphabetical order of the member countries. The term of the presidency should also be increased to one year from one month that each elected president serves at the moment. Furthermore, the veto rights should be restricted as a possible solution to criticisms that results from unnecessary and innumerable casualties. This is because the veto powers have resulted in the Security Council to remain incapable of acting. Profound changes are recommended due to the increasingly numerous and intricate security and peace threats (Sievers 29).
Question 2
From the lessons learned in the module, it can be deduced that we live in a world full of laws, norms, and rules that guide most relations among international parties. International organizations are increasingly essential in assisting us in governing the world, while sovereign states are the leading legal actors. An international organization has presence and scope in international country membership (The New York Times). These organizations serve various functions including monitoring trends and collecting information, providing forums for bargaining, delivering aids and services, and settling disputes. Apart from the UN and the European Union, the other international organizations that should be included in our textbook are the World Trade Organization (WTO), Council of Europe (CoE), the International Labor Organization (ILO), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). These international organizations assist in fostering cooperative behavior among the member countries since they provide political institutions through which governments or states can work together to accomplish common goals (The New York Times). Besides, the organizations mentioned above are beneficial for individual countries that use them often as foreign policy instruments to constrain the behavior of other nations and to authenticate their actions. From the airport analogy examined at the beginning of the module, we find that people may not be aware of how international organizations impact even the most ordinary things in the lives of individuals.
Question 3
Various aspects of human rights and international law were evaluated during this week’s lessons. Human rights and international law are regulations that apply at all periods including during conflict and emergency situations, and it sets the essential protections that every individual is entitled to. The states ought to respect and ensure that all the rights are fulfilled. Theories in international relations have offered useful perspectives in studying human rights, and international laws as by-laws gain considerable significance. In international relations, these aspects are meant to accomplish justice since they are an integral part of the international community as organizations that offer a set of regulations for the cooperation of states. According to Aljazeera.com (2018), we find that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, African Union, and the European Union condemned the act of Algeria which seemingly served in stopping the expulsions of refugees to Sahara. Therefore, in public justice struggle, international human rights offer political means anchored in public legitimacy and legal resources based on the actual rule of law. Indubitably, international organizations and laws protect human rights.
Works Cited
Aljazeera.com. "Human Rights News – the latest from Al Jazeera." 2018, www.aljazeera.com/topics/categories/human_rights.html. Accessed 13 July 2018.
The New York Times. "International Labor Organization." 2015, www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/international-labor-organization.
Sievers, L. The procedure of the UN Security Council. Oxford Univ. Press, 2017.
