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Picture Credit:
Associated Press/Osamu HondaThe Power of the Veto
The five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States) enjoy the privilege of veto power. This power has been intensely controversial since the drafting of the UN Charter in 1945. The United States and Russia would probably not have accepted the creation of the United Nations without the veto privilege. Fifty years later, the debate on the existence and use of the veto continues, reinvigorated by many cases of veto-threat as well as actual veto use. This page follows the issue, and provides data and a comprehensive list of all the vetoes cast and the subjects vetoed in the Security Council since 1945.
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Also See: Basic Information | How the Council Works | What's on the Agenda: Crises, Sanctions and Peacekeeping
Security Council Reform | NGOs and the Council | Tables and Charts | Resources
General Analysis on the Security Council Veto
This page posts opinions and analysis pieces as well as news articles dealing with the debate surrounding the veto.The Veto and the ICC in the Security Council
The US threatens to veto all peacekeeping resolution to impose its opposition to the International Criminal Court (June 2002 and following)Tables and Charts on the Veto
This section provides data on the veto, including a listing of the subjects vetoed by the Security Council with texts of the draft resolutions.
More Information on the Security Council
More Information on Security Council Reform
