Decline of Liberal Security Order in the UN Security Council

The key pillars of liberal security order have been diplomatic means of settling disputes as well as collective security measures authorized by the UN Security Council (UNSC). We theorize the process of norm decline in the context of the UNSC, and show the process of norm-breaking trigger –> acquiescence –> reduction of liberal security actions between 1990 and 2020. By analyzing the text of UNSC Resolutions and the UNSC veto processes, we show that 1) the 2014 Crimea invasion by Russia was the norm-breaking trigger, 2) the Russian veto was not met with supplemental liberal actions, and 3) the three decades after the fall of the Berlin wall witnessed the reduction of mediation, peacekeeping, sanctions, and global accountability measures, as manifested in the UNSC Resolutions. The findings indicate the erosion of many liberal norms that undergirded the operation of the UNSC, including territorial sovereignty, responsibility to protect (R2P), and global accountability. The findings contribute to the literature on norm contestation and the operation of the UNSC, with implications for UNSC legitimacy in global security governance.