The UN Security Council and Response to Atrocities: International Criminal Law and the P-5

A review of the UN Security Council and its permanent members regarding international criminal law shows, first of all, that while the Council has been consistently “seized” with this subject matter, narrow conceptions of national interest often negatively impact the quest for a humane rule of law in world affairs. Secondly, agreement among the P-5 often proves difficult, contributing to a wide array of adopted measures on this subject without great consistency. The Council’s toolbox is large and varied, but a dependable and consistent pattern of policy making has proven elusive. Lastly, particularly for the “Big Three”—China, Russia, and the United States—double standards are blatant as they often demand of others what they are unwilling to accept themselves. Nevertheless, the Security Council has paid much more attention to international criminal law than many observers forecast during the Cold War.