International Justice has collapsed with three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) acting with impunity and wilfully ignoring international law. The power of veto granted to the P5 is preventing the UN from acting to protect weaker nations.
During the Second World War the nations and people across the world worked together to defeat the Axis powers. The productive capacity of the economy was prioritised to support the war effort, creating ‘the wartime spirit’ with people supporting each other and putting others first. This spirit continued in the post-war years, the NHS was established, essential services and industry were nationalised, and new public housing was provided. The cost of the war and post-war reconstruction pushed the highest band of income tax to 19s 6d (97.5p) in the pound.
The world came together in 1945 to create the United Nations with a Charter based on justice and human rights, but over the last 40 years the neo-liberal doctrine adopted by many Western Nations and imposed on others as part of their development has driven people to focus on narrow personal interests, destroying the spirit of the post-war years. The privatisation of public services and lower taxes has given the wealthy ever greater freedom of choice and investment opportunities to accumulate greater wealth. The poor are left to struggle with the rising cost of living, with revenue for essential services syphoned off like a hidden tax to investors.
The spirit of international cooperation present at the birth of the United Nations has largely evaporated. Human rights are abused, millions are incarcerated, genocides are perpetrated, and over 100 million people are displaced. Disputes between nations are pursued by force or economic sanctions, not at the International Court of Justice. The table below shows the number of times since 1992 that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have used the veto to protect their interests. (Wikipedia)
| Russia | 39 |
| USA | 24 |
| China | 18 |
| France | 0 |
| UK | 0 |
Orwell’s vision of a world dominated by three powers is taking shape, each using national interest as an excuse for any action they wish to take, such as:
- Russia invading Ukraine.
- The United States committing extrajudicial killings and kidnappings across the world, taking control of Venezuela and threatening other states, and being complicit in war crimes and genocide.
- China occupying Tibet, incarcerating millions of Muslims, laying claim to the South China Sea and threatening Taiwan.
These powers seem to be intent on bringing the UN to its knees by joining a growing list of nations that are in arrears on their assessed contributions.
“By late 2025, only 145 of its 193 member states had paid their assessed contributions in full.” (Radiofree)
| Russia | ~$900 million |
| USA | $1,500 million |
| China | ~$480 million |
As a result the UN has been forced to halve its budget for supporting the victims of natural disasters, such as the recent floods in South East Asia with the Secretary General warning of “imminent finacial collapse”.
The UN created the International Court of Justice (ICJ) so that disputes between nations would be resolved in court rather than on a battlefield. Whilst the ICJ can deliberate and issue judgments, only the UNSC can enforce them, effectively putting the 5 nations with the power of veto (and their allies) beyond sanction.
All members of the UN should enjoy the protection of international law and be subject to the judgements of an International Court with the power enforce them, but rather than support and enforce international justice, national leaders (who are often sponsored by arms manufacturers) increase their military spending. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports that “World military expenditure reached $2718 bn in 2024.”
When Russia launched its invasion of the Ukraine, President Zelensky had no viable path to justice; the only options were to surrender territory to Russia or offer rights to natural resources in exchange for weapons to defend themselves.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established to prosecute individuals who break international law. Its jurisdiction is not recognised by the United States, Russia, or China. The US has sanctioned staff of the ICC involved in preparing cases against individuals implicated in war crimes and , in 2002, passed the Hague Invasion Act giving its military the authority to invade the Netherlands to free any US citizens held at the ICC in the Hague.
The biggest threat to human existence is global warming. For over 30 years nations have struggled to agree on laws to cut emissions and take other measures to curb climate change. The latest round of the UN’s COP talks failed to secure cuts to oil production and deforestation, with progress frustrated by wealthy nations putting their own interests first. Such restrictions may already be too late as the target of limiting average temperature rise to 1.5°C was breached in 2024. If we are to save the planet there needs to be a regulatory framework for how the planet’s natural resources are used and action taken to prioritise productive capacity of the economy to address global warming, and stop the unfettered destruction of the natural environment for the accumulation of wealth. Without an effective system of international justice, new laws to protect our environment seem pointless.
The world appears to be sliding back to 19th century imperialism, with powerful nations taking what they want from less powerful ones. After 80 years, the many flaws in the UN Charter are apparent, and the need for a new charter is long overdue.
In 1945, the United States insisted that it would not join the UN unless it had the power to overturn majority decisions at the Security Council. After several smaller nations raised their concerns, Article 109 was added to the Charter, allowing (after ten years) a simple majority in the General Assembly and the Security Council to produce a new charter without vetoes.
At the very least a new UN Charter must protect the global environment and put an end to armed conflict. Like many Western democracies, ours has seen a neo-liberal elite nullify representation and accountability by: funding political parties to influence candidate selection, controlling the media narrative during elections, and using targeted social media campaigns. In 2024, the Labour Party ensured that lobbyists for neo-liberal policies were selected for safe seats. At the election they were gifted an unassailable parliamentary majority with the support of just 17.5% of the eligible electorate. Policy is driven by think tanks such as the Tony Blair Institute and funded by a US Tech billionaire who is pushing schemes for ID Cards and new data centres that require huge energy and water resources. The lack of representation in Parliament is driving people to protest against these and other policies. The state has responded by increasing levels of state surveillance, oppression, and imprisonment.
The struggle to turn the tide on this new era of imperialism starts in every nation where neo-liberal elites exercise control. In the UK we must first loosen their grip on parliament with tighter controls on party funding, candidate selection, and improve accountability by having more frequent elections; then tackle their control of social media platforms, news media and influence at the BBC. Then perhaps we can elect a government that will give serious consideration to the new Charter the UN needs.
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