Reforms to the United Nations’ Security Council: A Case Study of Nigeria A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies University of Regina By Olufunke Christiana Okochi Regina, Saskatchewan January 2017 © Copyright 2017: O.C. Okochi i UNIVERSITY OF REGINA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH SUPERVISORY AND EXAMINING COMMITTEE Olufunke Christiana Okochi, candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies, has presented a thesis titled, Reforms to the United Nations' Security Council: A Case Study of Nigeria, in an oral examination held on December 14, 2016. The following committee members have found the thesis acceptable in form and content, and that the candidate demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject material. External Examiner: Dr. Yuchao Zhu, Department of Politics and International Studies Co-Supervisor: Dr. Nicholas Jones, Department of Justice Studies Co-Supervisor: Dr. Martin Hewson, Department of Politics and International Studies Committee Member: Dr. Gloria DeSantis, Department of Justice Studies Chair of Defense: Dr. Rozzet Jurdi-Hage, Department of Sociology and Social Studies ABSTRACT Since 1993, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has debated calls for reform to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Proposed reforms have included amendments to the use of the veto, improved representation of member countries in the permanent membership and an expansion of the Council's permanent members. The continent of Africa is not represented in the permanent membership of the UNSC, though it is the largest regional group in the UN. With three of the Council’s five permanent members from Europe and one each from the Americas and Asia, the African Union argues this situation is historically unjust and contributes to a lack of balance of the Council. This thesis seeks to examine any possibilities of expansions to the UNSC’s permanent membership, as well as whether Nigeria, an African country, may qualify for such a seat, based on defined criteria and as captured in the following research questions: 1. Is there a case for expansion of permanent member seats on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)? 2. If there is a case for such expansion, is Nigeria eligible, based on defined criteria, for one of these additional permanent member seats? To answer the two research questions, this thesis explored events leading to the formation of the UN and the UNSC, and leading up to calls for reforms to the latter. Using qualitative comparative analysis, it reviews four major reform proposals and seeks to determine whether there is a case for expansion of UNSC permanent members and whether Nigeria, as a case study, is eligible for a permanent member seat, based on this study’s defined criteria. While these two elements are confirmed by this research, the study concludes that any reforms would be difficult to achieve consensus from UN and UNSC members without significant compromise. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank both my supervisors - Dr. Nicholas Jones (Department of Justice Studies) and Dr. Martin Hewson (Department of Politics and International Studies) and my thesis committee member, Dr. Gloria DeSantis (Department of Justice Studies) at the University of Regina. I appreciate their patience, guidance and all their assistance with helping me complete this thesis and program in due time. To my parents (the Okochis and Somolus) and all family, your support has been beyond words. God bless you immensely for your constant concern and encouragement. I wish to express my sincere thanks to you all. To my darling husband, Nnaemeka, what can I say? Words are not enough to appreciate all your love, support and patience, spurring me on as my cheerleader and pushing me to keep going. I love you. Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank God, my Constant One. Thank You forever. iii POST-DEFENCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would also like to thank my external examiner, Dr. Yuchao Zhu, (Department of Politics and International Studies) and my thesis defence Chair, Dr. Rozzet Jurdi-Hage (Department of Sociology and Social Studies) for agreeing to fulfill these much needed roles, as part of my thesis evaluation and defence. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to diplomacy, the pursuit of fairer representation in the United Nations and to international relations. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii POST-DEFENCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. iv DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 Researcher Positioning................................................................................................................ 2 Issues with Regard to the UNSC ................................................................................................ 2 Purpose of the Research and Research Questions ...................................................................... 2 Significance of the Thesis ........................................................................................................... 3 Thesis Organization .................................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE UNITED NATIONS .......................... 7 The United Nations – Historical Overview ................................................................................ 7 Pre-United Nations.................................................................................................................. 7 World War One (WWI) .......................................................................................................... 8 Defence alliances formed ........................................................................................................ 9 Fourteen Points for Peace ..................................................................................................... 10 The Treaty of Versailles........................................................................................................ 12 The League of Nations .......................................................................................................... 14 Weaknesses of the League of Nations .................................................................................. 14 World War Two (WWII) ...................................................................................................... 15 vi The Declaration at St. James’s Palace .................................................................................. 18 The Atlantic Charter ............................................................................................................. 18 The Declaration by United Nations ...................................................................................... 20 Dumbarton Oaks and the Yalta Conference ......................................................................... 20 The San Francisco Conference ............................................................................................. 21 The United Nations Charter - An Overview ............................................................................. 22 Chapter I: Purposes and Principles ....................................................................................... 24 Chapter II: Membership ........................................................................................................ 25 Chapter III: Organs ............................................................................................................... 25 Chapter IV: The General Assembly ...................................................................................... 26 United Nations Charter on the Security Council .................................................................. 26 Chapter IX: International Economic and Social Cooperation .............................................. 26 Chapter X: The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).................................................. 27 Chapter XI: Declaration Regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories .................................. 27 Chapter XII: International Trusteeship System ................................................................... 27 Chapter XIII: The Trusteeship Council ................................................................................ 28 Chapter XIV: The International Court of Justice .................................................................. 28 Chapter XV: The Secretariat ................................................................................................. 29 Chapter XVI: Miscellaneous Provisions ..............................................................................