Abstract:
The most powerful organ of the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) has been under various criticisms over the last decade and one of
the major areas that is being criticized worldwide was its membership. Both
members and non-members of the UNSC have questioned the nature or state of the
current five membership members namely United States, Russia, United Kingdom,
China and France. These five permanent members also have their own sentiments
regarding expansion or replacement appeals from different countries. Obviously, the
concerns of the five permanent members are related with economic, military and
political interests which overlap each other. This study therefore assesses both the
advantage and disadvantages of each of the appeals by matching them against the
future and effectiveness of the Council. After the assessment of the appeals from
different angles, the study also makes specific recommendations as to whether
expansion or replacement would be the best option, judging from the current state of
global affairs.
