UN

Question 1

When was the UN Charter signed?

Answer 1

1945

Question 2

What two distinct things did the UN charter create?

Answer 2

1 Basic rules for the conduct of govt

2. A formal organisation with its own powers

Question 3

What are the 6 organs of the UN?

Answer 3

1. SC
2. GA
3. Trusteeship council
4. Economic and social Council
5. ICJ
6. Secretariat

Question 4

What lies beyond the 6 organs of the UN

Answer 4

Specialist agencies such as WTO, IMF, UN Development Fund etc.

Question 5

What is the remit of the UNSC?

Answer 5

Responsible for responding to threats to International peace and security and has the authority to force states to change their polices through military enforcement if necessary.

Question 6

What is the remit of the UNGA?

Answer 6

• Broader scope than the SC
• Can discuss any matter within the jurisdiction of the UN
• Enforcement extends only to making recommendations

Question 7

What does retention of the Trusteeship council show?

Answer 7

Given it is no longer active it shows how hard it is to amend the text of the charter to remove outdated provisions

Question 8

How must any interstate treaty be treated in regard to the UN charter?

Answer 8

All other treaties must be subordinate to the UN charter.

Question 9

What does the rule on sovereign equality mean in the GA?

Answer 9

Each country’s representative can speak at the annual meeting for the same amount of time, at least in theory.

Question 10

When can the UN interfere with the domestic issues of a state?

Answer 10

Only with the consent of the local government

Question 11

When and why did the UNEF peacekeeping mission in Sinai withdraw?

Answer 11

1967
Egypt withdrew consent
U Thant order peacekeepers to withdraw immediately, despite expecting this was a prelude to war.

Question 12

What is the legal status of GA resolutions?

Answer 12

Statements of recommendation

Never legally binding

Question 13

How can the GA’s power be described?

Answer 13

Hurd: Broad but Shallow

Question 14

What is the one area the GA does have power and how is it decided?

Answer 14

UN budget and allocation of costs

Decided by 2/3 man and no special influence reserved for highest payers

Question 15

How many UNSC votes are required for a decision?

Answer 15

9, inc all P5

Question 16

Who requested the UNSC veto?

Answer 16

USA, USSR, UK

Fought opposition to dilute or qualify it.

Question 17

What does the insistence on the UNSC veto show?

Answer 17

UK, USA and USSR were aware that they would have major disagreements in the future despite a degree of unity in WWII.

Question 18

How are the non-permanent seats allocation?

Answer 18

On the basis of regional groups that were invented by the UNGA

Question 19

What is the UN’s basic power over international security?

Answer 19

“Primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security”

Question 20

What was the UNSC designed to be in 1945?

Answer 20

Like the executive committee of the most powerful states to enforce against threats to the post-war international order that they were creating.

Question 21

The UNSC has powers over matter of….

Answer 21

“International peace and security”

In the absence of any threat to intl peace and sec it has no powers at all.

Question 22

What are peace enforcement missions?

Answer 22

Coercive invasions of countries by a UN-authorised force, intent on eliminating or mitigating a threat to intl peace and sec.

Question 23

What is an example of a Peace-Enforcement mission?

Answer 23

2011 - mil operation against Qaddafi in Libya

Question 24

What is a constraint on the power of the UNSC in conducting peace keeping or enforcement?

Answer 24

It has no military resources and must rely on voluntary contributions from UN member states

Question 25

What have middle powers suggested might help speed up reaction time for the UNSC in crises?

Answer 25

Creation of a UN rapid reaction force.