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ABSTRACT
The literature on regional powers and the UN Security Council (UNSC) has focused mainly on Council reform. Little research has been conducted on exploring the influence of regional powers at the Council. Have regional powers been able to extend their influence in ‘upstream’ processes like resolution drafting and narrowing the gap to the P5? Or do they operate like any other elected member? By applying a comprehensive taxonomy to measure influence we compare regional powers with permanent and elected members. A mixed picture emerges. While regional powers are identifiable as a distinct group of actors, their impact on Council operations is limited. We find that membership has an equalising effect, locking countries into existing institutional practices. The consequence of this is that they cannot easily convert their position as regional powers into institutional influence.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Stuart Morrison, who is a Master of Arts in E-science (Data Science) candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, for his coding support, which allowed for the development of Figure S1 (Number of speeches of regional powers per annum, 1995-2020) and Figure S2 (Regional powers thematic contributions to UNSC debates, 1995-2020).
Notes
1 The drafting of resolutions is organised by an informally agreed mechanism, the penholding system. It allocates country and thematic resolutions to one or several members of the Council. Traditionally, the P3 remain the key penholders for the majority of portfolios.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Malte Brosig
Malte Brosig is Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Markus Lecki
Markus Lecki is a Master of Arts in International Relations graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Email: [email protected]