By: Kevin Lane

As the world continues to grapple with the shift in stability across the world and international institutions following the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, it must face dual challenges from the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as well as Somalia. While there are other situations such as the destabilization of Cambodia, the stable transition of South Africa out of apartheid and the United States’ actions during the Gulf War, the two topics of Somalia and Yugoslavia dominate the minds and efforts of Member States heading into the 1993 session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Nine Member States have brought up the crisis in Somalia, as well as the crisis in Yugoslavia, which will assure that both topics will be addressed with full effort in the 1993 session of the UNSC. 

No Member State so far has come out against the establishment or continuation of United Nations (UN) Missions or peacekeeping operations in either Member State, though the People’s Republic of China has said that it respects the sovereignty of said Member States and maintains a neutral status on the issue of peacekeeping operations in either State. Representative Kian Williams of the People’s Republic of China stated that “It is clear that the peacekeeping missions in Yugoslavia are not welcome and we need new solutions and paths to better support the people in Yugoslavia.” The People’s Republic of China also condemned the presence of coalition troops and their continued presence in Iraq and Kuwait, calling for regional neighbors from the Asia and Pacific Group to replace them, with the same Representative stating that, “the United States and its coalition are continuing acts of aggression against a nation that has been relatively compliant.” While the UNSC deliberates on these important issues, Member States also appear poised to test the boundaries of the relatively new Russian Federation and how to address substantial issues that may have been difficult to gather consensus on earlier in the history of the UNSC. New Zealand has been fervent about discussing democracy and human rights among Member States, as well as an expansion of UN-led peacekeeping efforts, with Representative Morgan Rossman of New Zealand stating that, “the political climate of the world in the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union have been very chaotic and our delegation deemed it foolish to focus on only two flashpoints instead of world security overall.” As the statement shows, the focus on the Security Council has shifted in the wake of great changes in the past five years, with this year’s UNSC session likely to address fundamental security issues globally in addition to specific incidents.