A top UN analyst has said that while reforms are long overdue to make the Security Council more transparent and accountable to emerging global powers, including new permanent members would still be “politically inauspicious”.Conceding that major troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions—like India—should have a greater role to play in the decision-making process, Professor of Security and Development in the department of war studies at King’s College (London) Mats Berdal said including more permanent members would dilute the decision-making power of the body.“The Security Council has come to be perceived as a secretive club of nations. One method (to dispel the belief) is to have more consultations with troop-contributing countries and be more transparent,” Berdal said in an interview with The Indian Express. He added that an expansion of the Council would be politically unacceptable to existing members. The professor, who is working on a book, UN and the Search for International Order, said that while the UN remains in great demand—the troop deployment levels of the body for peacekeeping missions is at an all time high of over 1,00,000 soldiers —even after its “marginalisation” after the Iraq conflict, there has been little forward movement on carrying out key reforms to make the organisation more relevant in the present world order.“The extent to which the UN has been marginalised by Iraq is exaggerated. The UN is in great demand to the extent that that there is an operational overstretch. But day-to-day issues like deployment and management are becoming big problems. However, there is a deep suspicion that nothing is moving (on reforms). A north-south divide is playing out,” Berdal said.On Myanmar, Berdal welcomed UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari’s New Delhi visit but warned that economic sanctions against the country would worsen the situation. “What sanctions do is criminalise economy and strengthen the regime,” the professor said.
