The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, not to mention the war in Syria, have presented diplomats with emotional testimonies of civilian suffering, even alleged crimes against humanity. Yet the 15-member Council (United Nations Security Council) has been unable to end these conflicts.
The problem is not that the major world powers don’t care. It is that they care too much.
Russia and the United States have a great deal at stake in each conflict, and the rules of diplomacy enable them, as well as the other three permanent members — Britain, China and France — to veto any Security Council action. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has vetoed 14 draft resolutions, most of them involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Russia has vetoed 11 concerning its allies, like the government of Syria.
Why the U.N. Can’t Solve the World’s Problems
by Somini Sengupta
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/sunday-review/why-the-un-cant-solve-the-worlds-problems.html
(sk)
Diplomats from the 15 countries meet at the United Nations Security Council to achieve consensus on solving global problems – they meet to achieve consensus, not to solve problems.
Achieving consensus on problems is highly difficult, often much more difficult than solving problems.