Reforming the United Nations Security Council: Making It More Democratic in the Post
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Reforming the United Nations Security Council: Making it more Democratic in the Post- Westphalian Legal Order Mehmet Halil Mustafa BEKTAS Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy De Montfort University Faculty of Business and Law, United Kingdom Supervisors: Mr Tim Hillier Professor Gavin Dingwall Dr Alwyn Jones Faculty of Business and Law De Montfort University United Kingdom September 2015 Declaration I certify that the thesis submitted is my own work. I also confirm that any work of others is clearly identified and has been referenced with full acknowledgement within the thesis. The thesis is copyright material and the copyright rests with the author. Quotation is allowed from the work only with proper acknowledgement. I declare that my thesis consists of 79,790 words excluding bibliography, table of contents, abstract, acknowledgements, list of abbreviations, declaration and cover page. Contents ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 7 List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................. 10 Introduction and Summary of Main Arguments.................................................................... 10 1.1 Aim and Scope .......................................................................................................... 13 1.2 Developing Solutions and Making a Reform Proposal ............................................... 16 1.3 Importance of Study .................................................................................................. 18 1.4 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 22 1.5 Layout of the Study .................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................. 33 The Transformation of the International Legal Order and Theoretical Framework ............... 33 2.1 Facing the Realities of the Post-Westphalia Era ........................................................ 33 2.2 Overview of Democracy in the Context of International Law ...................................... 43 2.3 Why CD: Abandoning the State-Based System ......................................................... 56 2.3.1 Contributions of CD to Study ............................................................................... 63 2.3.2 Other Alternative Theories .................................................................................. 67 2.4 Critical Analysis of CD ............................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................. 90 Diagnosing the Problem: Examining the State-centric UNSC from the CD Perspective ...... 90 3.1 What is wrong with the UNSC? .................................................................................. 90 3.1.1 The State-centric System’s Problem: Greed for Power, not Peace ...................... 98 3.2 Democracy in the Context of the UNSC ................................................................... 104 3.2.1 Parameters of the Democracy Concept for the Security Council ....................... 113 CHAPTER FOUR .............................................................................................................. 120 Introducing NGOs: Their Legal Status, Significance and Definition ................................... 120 4.1 Identifying NGOs as Significant Partners in the Post-Westphalian Era .................... 120 4.2 NGOs in International Law ....................................................................................... 131 4.2.1 Uncertainty in the Definition of NGOs ................................................................ 132 4.2.2 Constructing a Definition of “NGO” for the Security Council .............................. 139 4.2.3 The Question of Legal Status ............................................................................ 143 CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................ 159 Background of Interactions between the Security Council and NGOs ............................... 159 3 5.1 The Size of the Relationships with the Security Council ........................................... 160 5.1.1 The extent to which the Security Council grants access to NGOs ..................... 165 5.2 Precursors of Access ............................................................................................... 169 5.3 Types of Access ...................................................................................................... 173 5.3.1 The Regular Meeting Process ........................................................................... 173 5.3.2 The Arria Formula and Somavia Meetings ........................................................ 175 5.3.3 Informal Channels (Bilateral Meetings) .............................................................. 180 5.3.4 Other Means of Interaction ................................................................................ 182 5.4 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................... 186 CHAPTER SIX .................................................................................................................. 187 Is Informal Access Enough? .............................................................................................. 187 6.1 Outcomes of informal interactions between the Security Council and NGOs ........... 188 6.2 Why Formal Access is Necessary, Rather than Maintaining Informal Access .......... 199 6.3 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................... 209 CHAPTER SEVEN ............................................................................................................ 211 Proposed Framework for Formal Access and Criticisms ................................................... 211 7.1 Establishing a Subsidiary Body: the Consultative Committee of the Security Council (CCSC) .......................................................................................................................... 211 7.2 Critical Evaluation of NGOs in their Formal Participation in the Security Council ..... 232 7.2.1 Critics of NGOs’ Accountability .......................................................................... 233 7.2.2 Fairness and Objectivity .................................................................................... 241 7.2.3 Whether NGOs are a Threat to International Legal Order ................................. 248 7.2.4 NGOs Potential Undermining of the Security Council’s Effectiveness ............... 252 CHAPTER EIGHT ............................................................................................................. 253 Estimating Outcomes of Formal Access for NGOs to the Security Council ........................ 253 8.1 Balancing Veto Power ............................................................................................. 253 8.2 Sources of Information ............................................................................................. 255 8.3 Enhancing Efficiency ............................................................................................... 257 8.4 Eliminate Lack of Representativeness ..................................................................... 260 8.5 Improving Peaceful Settlement ................................................................................ 267 8.6 Preventing Radical Reactions .................................................................................. 278 8.7 Decreasing Lack of Accountability ........................................................................... 283 8.8 Increase Capability .................................................................................................. 285 CHAPTER NINE ............................................................................................................... 291 4 Feasibility of the Proposal: Possible but Difficult ............................................................... 291 9.1 Viability of an NGO-Enriched Security Council ........................................................ 291 9.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 313 9.3 Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................... 317 9.4 Future Research ...................................................................................................... 317 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................... 318 5 ABSTRACT The Security Council has sometimes failed to perform its main duty, which is the maintenance of international peace and security. The Council’s responsibilities