The Strategic Use of International Law by the United Nations Security Council

Abstract

This book examines the strategic use of international law by the United Nations Security Council. It offers insights on whether international law is able to shape the politics of the Security Council and the extent to which the latter contribute to the development of international law. By providing a systematic analysis of the quantity and quality of international legal instruments referred to in the text of resolutions, the book reconstructs patterns of Security Council’s behavioural regularities and assesses them against the provisions of the United Nations Charter establishing its mandate. The analysis is divided into three periods—origins and cold war period, post-cold war period and the twenty-first century, where resolu- tions are assessed by thematic categories. The book argues that while international law plays an important role in shaping the politics of the Security Council, the Security Council resolutions do not contribute significantly to the development of international law.