"The multipolar era we are now entering is clearly
reflected in the increase of Russian Security Council vetoes and the
establishment of the double Chinese-Russian veto as a norm. ... The veto power of
the five permanent members of the Security Council is the victor's spoil of the
Second World War. .. In a multipolar world, the persistence of the veto in the
hands of the Russia-China alliance is an encouragement to regimes like that of Assad,
which are given a free hand to act against his their people. Good note of this
will also be taken by the military junta that seized power in Thailand this
week."
Bashar al-Assad is not only winning the war
within his country, but on the international stage as well. The latter is
thanks to the protective shield of Russia and China - powers that are
increasingly hostile toward the United States. With their vetoes in the U.N.
Security Council, the two have hindered Assad's prosecution for crimes against
humanity committed in Syria since 2011 (when riots began and later became a civil
and sectarian civil war).
This
is the fifth time they have exercised a double veto, the third consecutive one
regarding Syria, in all cases to avoid the conviction, sanctions, and even now,
action by international justice against criminal regimes. The first double
vetoes occurred in 2007 and 2008, in order to protect Burma's military junta and
Zimbabwe dictator Robert
Mugabe.
United Nations diplomats knew Russia would veto the resolution against Syria, but after
its abstention to the latest resolution on Ukraine, Beijing's attitude on the
matter wasn't clear. Apart from participating in five double vetoes, China has twice
exercised a solitary veto, in contrast to hundred exercised by Moscow (90 as the
Soviet Union and ten as the Russian Federation), and 79 lone vetoes by
Washington since 1946.
The
bulk of Soviet vetoes occurred over the first 25 years of the United Nations, which
coincided with the peak of the Cold War and the nuclear weapons race. In the
last 20 years, with the bipolar world dominated by Washington, the
hegemonic American veto has been mainly used to shield Israel from decisions in
favor of Palestine. The multipolar era we are now entering is clearly reflected
in the increase of Russian vetoes and the establishment of the double Chinese-Russian
veto as a norm.
The
veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council is the victor's
spoil of the Second World War: The United States, U.K., France, Russia and
China. It has gone untouched over two entire eras and is entering a new one
without reform or alterations demanded by the redistribution of power in the
world. In a multipolar world, its persistence in the hands of the Russia-China
alliance is an encouragement to regimes like that of Assad, which are given a
free hand to act against their people. Good note of this will also be taken
by the military junta that seized power in Thailand this week.
The
Responsibility
to Protect, which was enshrined by the United Nations at a 2005 summit and
applied with the acquiescence of Russia and China in the Libyan War, just
suffered a setback at the hands of this double shield, under which many
undesirables will seek protection in the future.
