Ep5 - Why UN is Powerless

Today on The Italian Uncut, we're diving deep into the dynamics between Israel, the USA, and the United Nations. Our aim? To demonstrate how the UN has become an increasingly useless and ineffective instrument in resolving global issues. Let's begin by looking at Israel.

Since their foundation, the United Nations have issued an impressive number of resolutions condemning Israel or demanding specific actions from Israel. We're talking about hundreds of official documents spanning from the 1940s to the present day. There's even a dedicated Wikipedia page listing all UN resolutions concerning Israel. An entire page dedicated to a single state. The page in question lists a full 229 resolutions. Here are a few examples:

Resolution 194 (1947), General Assembly: "Reaffirms that the Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homes and properties, or to receive compensation if they choose not to return." This concerns a primary human right (the right to return home) that remains largely unfulfilled for almost 80 years, with millions of refugees still without a solution.

Resolution 248 (1968): The Security Council "condemns in the strongest terms the massive military attack launched by Israeli forces against Karameh, Jordan, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter." Karameh was one of the largest Israeli military operations against an PLO base in Jordan, leading to significant losses on both sides and strong international condemnation.

Resolution 446 (1979): "Determines that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a serious obstacle to peace and calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention." Despite this, the policy of settlement expansion has continued for decades.

As we mentioned, from 1947 to today, Israel has accumulated more than 200 resolutions. How has Israel reacted to these resolutions? It has ignored them and continued to threaten and militarily attack sovereign countries like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Tunisia. There are very few Middle Eastern countries that haven't suffered attacks from Israel.

For a complete list of all resolutions issued against Israel, please refer to the Wikipedia page. You'll find the link below in the podcast description, under "Sources."

Now let's turn to the USA. Here are some examples of UN resolutions against the USA that have been disregarded:

Embargo against Cuba: The United Nations General Assembly has voted annually (since 1992, with few exceptions) in favor of a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. These resolutions pass with overwhelming consensus (often with 180+ votes in favor), but the United States continues to maintain the embargo, effectively ignoring the will of the majority of the General Assembly (which, as we know, has no binding power in this context).

Intervention in Nicaragua (1980s): In 1986, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the United States had violated international law by supporting the "Contras" rebels in Nicaragua and mining harbors. The USA refused to recognize the Court's jurisdiction in that case and disregarded the ruling, withdrawing from the ICJ's compulsory jurisdiction for certain matters. This is a clear example of how a nation can disregard a ruling by an international judicial body.

Allow us to add another point: Non-Adherence to Key International Treaties. The United States has not ratified several fundamental international treaties that have been widely accepted by other nations, such as the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Kyoto Protocol (on climate, withdrawn by the Bush administration), or the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These aren't "disregarded resolutions" in the strict sense, but they demonstrate a willingness not to adhere to global norms and consensuses.

After seeing concrete examples of how UN resolutions are systematically ignored by some of the most powerful nations, it's time to ask ourselves: Why does all this happen? What is the cause of this ineffectiveness?

The UN, through its Security Council, theoretically possesses enormous powers to maintain international peace and security. It could impose economic sanctions, decide on arms or trade embargos, or even authorize military actions to stop aggressions or massive human rights violations. In theory, it's a very powerful tool, equipped with coercive instruments to enforce international law.

Yet, this potential often remains unexpressed. The heart of the problem lies in the functioning of one of the UN's most important bodies: the Security Council...

That’s just a glimpse! The full story — and the full context — are in the podcast episode below. Curious to hear more?

Listen the full episode on Spotify.