UN Resolution 1368

UN was established in 1945 to bring peace in the world. In reality it was created to retain the hegemony of the major powers over the weaker and poor nations. As the direct rule became impossible in view of the growing assertiveness of the people of the old colonial outposts, the colonial powers presented a rosy dream of a peaceful world by projecting the UN as a unique institution where the poor countries would be in a majority and their opinion would prevail. No that didn’t happen. But they cleverly retained the power to wage war by creating the Security Council in the UN structure---wheels within wheels. The General Assembly was not to have any say in such important matters but it was the prerogative of the 5- member minority comprising the Security Council. Security Council has veto power and it matters in the real world of war and peace. The camouflage of giving some semblance of power in the Security Council to the Asian nations was done through granting the veto power to their stooge, the tiny Taiwan, whom they declared to be the real China which it was not. Today’s mainland China has managed to have this veto power by default only, albeit that very Taiwan is not China but a separate country. The major powers can do whatever they like by using the UN---for all practical purposes UN is acting more like a rubber stamp of US.

The first overt diplomatic coup by the United States related to 9/11 was UN resolution no. 1368.It was adopted at no time by the UN Security Council on September 12, 2001. The resolution contained the obligatory statements of condemnation and solidarity with the 9/11 victims and their families. But this particular resolution manifested three puzzling features whose implications are unsettling.

Resolution 1368 included a one paragraph preamble in which the Council “recognised the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence in accordance with the charter”. There was no need to mention this particular principle in the Resolution unless it was the intent of the Council to give the United States a wink that it may, if it wishes, use force against any country it chooses as a response to 9/11. In truth the Security Council didn’t authorise the United States to use military force. But the Council would look the other way and ask no questions, if the US would use military force against foreign states. That is precisely what happened in case of Afghanistan. America’s bombing campaign against Afghanistan and subsequent occupation of that country was not condemned by any member of UN Security Council. Resolution 1368 also condoned a blatant act of aggression. Council members including Chine actually violated international law.

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Frontier
Vol. 54, No. 18, Oct 31 - Nov 6, 2021