Waging Peace

The United Nations Security Council has, since 1945, formed the core of an international security regime devoted to maintaining or restoring international peace. During and since the Cold War, the world has seen a progressive reduction in inter-state warfare, an evolution in which the Council has played its part. But the Council has also seen its share of failures, both in domestic wars involving non-state groups, and in matters of legitimacy, seen as it is as a vehicle for the interests of the three western permanent members.

Never provided with a standing military force to implement enforcement actions, the Security Council instead developed a formula for the use of international peacekeeping forces; it has often delegated enforcement powers to coalitions of states or to regional alliances; and it has advanced the use of mechanisms not anticipated by the original framers of the UN Charter, such as international criminal tribunals and post-conflict transitional administrations. Increasingly involved in matters traditionally considered the domestic preserve of nation states, the Council's agenda is ever more dominated by issues related to economic disparity, internal political repression, corruption, insurgency, and struggles over natural resources.

This book examines the actions ? and sometimes the failure to act ? of the Security Council over the past seven decades. Prof Hilaire comprehensively describes the context of UN law and international normative frameworks within which context the Council has operated, provides an analysis of the legal issues under customary international law, and assesses the Council's successes and failures. Waging Peace is a valuable addition to the literature of international law and international relations, and of the history of what remains a uniquely idealistic experiment in creating an institution to safeguard peace and security globally.