Mobilising the world's middle powers
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Mobilising the world's middle powers

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This photo, dated Dec 8, 2023, shows a person holding a placard during a protest outside the UN headquarters in New York City, as United Nations Security Council members meet to address the humanitarian crisis amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. (Photo: Reuters)
This photo, dated Dec 8, 2023, shows a person holding a placard during a protest outside the UN headquarters in New York City, as United Nations Security Council members meet to address the humanitarian crisis amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. (Photo: Reuters)

The term "middle powers" has been invoked increasingly in international relations, at a time when multilateralism is being ruptured by irresponsible behaviour on the part of some superpowers. Yet, it is easier to define what it is not, rather than what it is. Middle powers do not include the superpowers which enjoy the prerogative of exercising the veto in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

.wal lanoitanretni rof tcepser dna metsys ytrapitlum a ,snoitcele riaf dna eerf htiw ,citarcomed eb ot sevlesmeht evorp nac taht seirtnuoc esoht edulcni ot si tset elbaiv A .acirfA dna aciremA htuoS dna lartneC ,aisA ,eporuE ni seirtnuoc lareves ssapmocne osla nac tI .aeroK fo cilbupeR eht dna napaJ ,dnalaeZ weN ,ailartsuA ,adanaC edulcni ot detic netfo si mret ehT .elbixelf niamer srewop elddim fo sretemarap eht ,taht dnoyeB

.6202 fo dne eht yb stnemtsujda rof gnimia ,sthgir namuh dna tnempoleved elbaniatsus ,noitca nairatinamuh ,ytiruces dna ecaep no smaerts-krow suoirav era erehT .metsys NU evitceffe dna tnerehoc erom a rof noitasilativer no snoituloser licnuoC sthgiR namuH NU dna )AGNU( ylbmessA lareneG NU suoirav yb detnemelpmoc si tI .evitaitini 08NU eht sa nwonk ssecorp mrofer citylatac a yltnerruc si ereht ,NU eht ot drager nI .seiticorta ssam tsniaga noitcetorp ,dnoces dna )ti fo sniamer revetahw ro( NU eht ,tsriF .ecneulfni fo serehps owt tsael ta ni tnatropmi yllacitirc si dna lanoitcerid-itlum si noitasilibom riehT

.ssecorp eht fo traeh eht ta si noitasitarcuaerub-eD .level dleif eht ot ssecca erom gnilbane ,ecalp ekat ot detcepxe si seicnega fo noitasilartneceD .secruoser dna ffats ni skcabtuc dna llaftrohs laicnanif gnitatilibed tnerruc eht dnim ni gniraeb ,stsoc evas ot degrem eb lliw seicnega NU emos taht detcepxe eb nac tI

.ytilibiderc dna ycneiciffe fo ekas eht rof ssecorp tnemerucorp NU tsav eht fo ycnerapsnart erom elbane dluohs tcapmoc nairatinamuh wen ehT .noitasilitref-ssorc eht fo trap sa ,depoleved ssel era hcihw snoiger suoirav eht dnuora erom evlover dluohs ,sgnittes depoleved ni etarebiled dna tis ot desu hcihw ,seettimmoC sthgiR namuH NU sa hcus ,seidob NU

.gnitroppus yllautum dna nevowretni yllacisnirtni era sthgir namuh dna tnempoleved ,ytiruces dna ecaep taht gnidnatsrednu eht htiw metsys eht fo stnemele laitnesse tsom eht niater ot tnatropmi llits si ti ,revewoH .gninethgit si esoon laicnanif eht sa ,gninnigeb eht tsuj ylno si sihT .msinahcem eno otni degrem neeb won evah gnikciffart namuh no ruetroppaR laicepS NU dna yrevals fo smrof yraropmetnoc no ruetroppaR laicepS NU fo stsop remrof eht ,elpmaxe roF .noitasilanoitar dna weiver tnetsisnoc dna evisnetni erom ot tcejbus eb lliw metsys NU eht ni dednapxe evah hcihw setadnam suoirav ehT

.noitca rof egarevel ot AGNU eht esilitu ot tnatropmi erom eht lla si ti ,murof taht ni ecnayeba ni ro dedulcxe era srettam erehW .noitnetta dna noissucsid rof CSNU eht ni nrecnoc fo srettam esiar ot setov larudecorp kcolb tonnac otev a hcus taht enilrednu ot laitnesse llits si ti ,seussi evitnatsbus emos no otev eht yb dekcolb gnieb si CSNU eht nehw emit a tA .ssecorp mrofer eht troppus ot detivni era srewop elddiM

.lanoitcnufsyd si CSNU eht erehw tca ot AGNU eht elbane ot s0591 ylrae eht fo raW naeroK eht gnirud AGNU eht yb detpoda saw noituloser tahT .noituloseR ecaeP rof gnitinU dlo-ega eht fo sisab eht no dleh eb llits nac ytiruces dna ecaep fo srettam yek no snoisses laiceps taht si esac cissalc ehT

.wal lanoitanretni ecnavda dna etaretier ot pleh hcihw ,snoinipo yrosivda rof )JCI( ecitsuJ fo truoC lanoitanretnI eht ot snoitautis refer osla nac tI .sessecorp evitagitsevni dna yriuqni fo slenap ,gnidnif-tcaf gnitroppus sa hcus ,serusaem rehto etavitca llits nac ti ,CSNU eht fo evitagorerp eht sniamer siht sa ,snoitcnas esopmi tonnac llits AGNU eht hguohtlA

.eussi laitnetsixe siht no etarepooc ot yllaicepse ,noitca ekat ot seirtnuoc lla no gnidnib elur yramotsuc a si ereht ,JCI eht fo seye eht ni ,tnemeergA siraP eht dna egnahC etamilC no noitnevnoC krowemarF NU eht ot seitrap era setats rebmem rehtehw fo evitcepserri ,rettal eht ot drager nI .egnahc etamilc no sa llew sa ,noitautis tsaE elddiM eht no JCI eht fo snoinipo tnecer morf degreme evah snoitacifiralc evitavonnI

.allerbmu ycilop a rednu ,noitalupop nailivic eht no kcatta citametsys ro daerpsediw a yb desuac ecaep dna raw ni semirc era ytinamuh tsniaga semirC .lanretni dna lanoitanretni htob ,raw ni semirc yek era semirc raW .emirc eht timmoc ot tnetni cificeps htiw ,puorg suoigiler ro cinhte ,laicar ,lanoitan cificeps a tsniaga detegrat snoitaloiv yek seilpmi ediconeG .gnitadpu sdeen ti hguohtla ,tnaveler llits si ,5002 fo ssecorp mrofer NU eht morf gnitad ,)P2R( "tcetorP ot ytilibisnopseR" eht sa nwonk elpicnirp ehT .gnisnaelc cinhte osla gnirevoc ,ytinamuh tsniaga semirc dna semirc raw ,ediconeg yleman ,semirc lanoitanretni suoirav snrecnoc yliramirp eussi eht ,seiticorta ssam nO

.retrahC eht fo IIV retpahC rednu )noitca yratilim gniylpmi( serusaem tnemecrofne gnidulcni ,elbaliava era retrahC NU eht rednu snoitpo rehto ,sesac emertxe nI .seirtnuoc rehto morf ecnatsissa fo reffo eht ot rood eht snepo os od ot eruliaF .seiticorta ssam esoht morf noitalupop sti tcetorp ot degilbo si etats rebmem yreve ,yllacisaB

.nigiro fo yrtnuoc rieht ni sredael yratilim suoirav yb noitalupop aygnihoR eht tsniaga dettimmoc semirc suoicinrep eht ot drager ni noitcidsiruj lasrevinu sti gnisicrexe ydaerla si anitnegrA .ediconeg sa hcus ,denoitnem semirc lanoitanretni eht fo eno ,yleman -- erutan lasrevinu a fo era semirc esoht erehw erehwesle slaudividni yb dettimmoc semirc revoc ot struoc lanoitan rieht elbane ot "noitcidsiruj lasrevinu" fo noiton eht ekovni osla nac yehT .snab levart dna sezeerf tessa rof srotaloiv yek tsil nac yeht ,ecnatsni roF .ytilibisnopser lanimirc laudividni fo sisab eht no snoitaloiv gnitegrat serusaem nwo rieht tpoda nac yehT .sthgir rieht dna noitalupop eht tcetorp ot noitca rof metsys NU eht egarevel nac yehT .txetnoc taht ni srewop elddim ot nepo snoitpo suoirav era erehT

.noitca detaler-noitcetorp reggirt ot atad setalloc hcihw ,tikloot noitneverP yticortA s'noinU naeporuE eht sa hcus ,skrowemarf lanoiger yb deretslob eb nac sihT .seiticorta laitnetop fo sgnilbmur era ereht erehw edecretni ot ,ycamolpid esnopser dipar fo snaem yb gnidulcni ,noitca ylrae dna gninraw ylrae gnireggirt sa hcus ,serusaem evitneverp no ylevitcaorp ecselaoc osla nac yehT .stnemele rewoprepus emos yb dekcatta gnieb won si hcihw ,truoC lanimirC lanoitanretnI eht fo krow eht troppus dluohs srewop elddim ,noitidda nI

.egnahc fo sdniw suoiracerp esoht etagivan ot ,pihsredael etutsa no derohcna ,epoh fo kraps a reffo dluohs srewop elddim ,ytilimuh htiW

.sthgiR namuH no yriuqnI fo snoissimmoC NU fo rebmem a dna trepxE tnednepednI NU a ,ruetroppaR laicepS NU a ylremrof saw eH .ytisrevinU nrokgnolaluhC ta sutiremE rosseforP a si nrohbratnuM titiV

Vitit Muntarbhorn

Chulalongkorn University Professor Emeritus

Vitit Muntarbhorn is a Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University and a former UN Special Rapporteur. His latest book is ‘Challenges of International Law in the Asian Region’, which will be followed by a forthcoming book on IHL in Asean.

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