Effective United Nations and Global Governance in World Security?

This paper is concerned with the development in global security system and importance of one of its key actors, the United Nations. Paper describes the changes in structure and security matters of the international system after the end of the Cold War and defines the new threats the UN is facing in the 21st century. It evaluates the ability of the United Nations to reflect these changes and correspond respectively. Paper briefly explains proposed reforms of Security Council and estimates what impact they can have on functioning of the UN and on balance in international security relations. Main part of the paper examines the approach of the United Nations and world’s leading powers towards collective security and tackles the issue of national interests in global security matters. Do nations states participating in international bodies have to give up their sovereignty? Paper analyses crucial security issues, such as national sovereignty, imminent threats, responsibility to protect within the UN system to determine to which extend do (not) the member countries compromise on their interests in order to ensure world peace. Conclusion of this paper points out that collective security requires collective actions which can be provided only by common cooperation of the countries. The United Nations had shown its capability of being an important tool of multilateral diplomacy; however, common political will is necessary to reach deeper cooperation among member states and increase effectiveness and credibility of this global inter-governmental organization.