Chronicle of a Death Foretold? The War in Ukraine and the UN Security Council

Abstract

The UN Security Council’s divisions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have captured international headlines. There has been less attention on the implications of the war for the Security Council’s primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security. This paper examines the ways in which the Security Council has addressed conflict between states as well as civil wars and the continuities reflected in its approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It then explores some of the ways in which the Council’s management of conflict-related crises might evolve in light of the Ukraine war and the implications these may have for the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council, as well as the role of other multilateral organisations. This paper builds on remarks provided at a Royal Irish Academy seminar, ‘Ireland on the Security Council’, on 23 November 2022.