“The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance.” Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard.
Approach · directive: “examine / critically evaluate”
What it asks · Examine how US–Russia–China rivalry blocks UN (especially Security Council) reform, and critically evaluate whether East–West confrontation is the whole explanation.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Examine: how US–Russia–China rivalry blocks UN (Security Council) reform
- Critically evaluate: whether East–West confrontation is the whole explanation — cross-cutting interests, the North–South divide, partial progress
- India's stake and the way forward
Open with · Eight decades after 1945, the Security Council's permanent seats still mirror the Second World War, and reform needs the consent of the very powers whose rivalry it should manage.
Cover
- Agenda and hurdle: seats, veto, working methods; Intergovernmental Negotiations since 2009; Article 108 needs all five permanent members.
- East–West paralysis: Ukraine, Syria, Gaza; the veto was used 13 times in two years after April 2022.
- Incomplete explanation: China is wary of Japan and India; Uniting for Consensus opposes new permanent members; every P5 member guards the veto.
- North–South: Ezulwini Consensus; the Pact for the Future (2024) pledges to redress the historical injustice against Africa (table of positions).
- Progress: the 2022 veto initiative (resolution 76/262) forces a General Assembly debate within 10 working days.
- India: over 2,90,000 peacekeepers in more than 50 missions; G4 and L.69; text-based negotiations.
Close with · East–West rivalry explains the paralysis only in part; India's call for reformed multilateralism will succeed when Global South pressure makes the status quo costlier for the P5 than change.
Add value (verified)
- Under Article 108 of the UN Charter, every permanent member effectively holds a veto over Charter amendments.Charter of the United Nations — full text (un.org) ↗“ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by two thirds of the Members of the United Nations, including all the permanent members of the Security Council.”
- General Assembly resolution 76/262 (April 2022), the 'Veto Initiative': the Assembly must convene within 10 working days of a veto in the Security Council.Summary of the General Assembly debate on the use of the veto, 23 April 2024 - Office of the President of the UN General Assembly ↗“In April 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 76/262, entitled “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council”, also known as the "Veto Initiative”, requiring the General Assembly to convene within 10 working days of casting of a veto in the Security Council.”
- By April 2024 the veto had been used 13 times since resolution 76/262 was adopted in April 2022.Summary of the General Assembly debate on the use of the veto, 23 April 2024 - Office of the President of the UN General Assembly ↗“Delegations highlighted that since the adoption of resolution A/RES/76/262, the veto has been used 13 times, including four vetoes in the last four months.”
- Pact for the Future (2024), Action 39 on Security Council reform: redress the historical injustice against Africa as a priority.Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations (2024) - United Nations ↗“Redress the historical injustice against Africa as a priority and, while treating Africa as a special case, improve the representation of the underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups”
- India has sent over 2,90,000 peacekeepers to more than 50 UN missions.India's Legacy in UN Peacekeeping: Leadership, Commitment, and Sacrifice - PIB, 2025 ↗“India has been a key contributor to global peace and security, with over 2,90,000 peacekeepers serving in more than 50 UN missions”
- India's stated UN priority: reformed multilateralism to meet cross-national challenges.India's Priorities for the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly - Ministry of External Affairs ↗“These cross-national and cross-domain challenges have underlined the need for global solidarity and for reformed multilateralism.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 350words · Minimalist IAS
Eight decades after 1945, the Security Council's five permanent seats still mirror the power map of the Second World War. Reform needs the consent of the very powers whose rivalry it is meant to manage, and that is where it stalls.
The reform agenda and the Charter hurdle
- Agenda: more permanent and non-permanent seats, limits on the veto, better working methods and regional balance; Intergovernmental Negotiations have run since 2009 without a negotiating text.
- Charter lock: Article 108 requires two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of Members, including all five permanent members, so any one of them can block change.
How East–West confrontation blocks reform
- Paralysis: the US and its allies face Russia and China on Ukraine, Syria, sanctions and Gaza; the veto was used 13 times in the two years after April 2022.
- Zero-sum reading: Russia and China coordinate positions, while Washington backs expansion selectively; each side reads reform as the other's gain.
Why the explanation is incomplete
- Cross-cutting interests: China is wary of permanent seats for Japan and India, and every P5 member, Western or not, guards its veto.
- North–South divide: the Global South wants representation, not merely an East–West balance; the Pact for the Future (2024) pledges to redress the historical injustice against Africa as a priority.
| Group | Position on permanent seats |
|---|---|
| G4, including India | New permanent and non-permanent seats |
| Uniting for Consensus | No new permanent members |
| Africa (Ezulwini Consensus) | Two permanent seats with veto |
- Progress despite rivalry: the 2022 veto initiative (resolution 76/262) obliges the General Assembly to meet within 10 working days of any veto.
India's stake and the way forward
- India's claim: India has sent over 2,90,000 peacekeepers to more than 50 UN missions, and presses through the G4 and L.69 for text-based negotiations while keeping ties with both camps.
- Way forward: a negotiating text, a common G4–Africa platform, and regular veto-initiative debates that raise the cost of obstruction.
East–West rivalry explains the paralysis only in part. India's call for reformed multilateralism will succeed when collective pressure from the Global South makes the status quo costlier for the P5 than change.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
