Dr. Steven C. Roach
Ph.D. International Studies, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, 2002. M.A. International Relations, San Francisco State University, 1995. B.A. History, Colgate University, 1988. Associate Professor, Department of Government and International Affairs, University of South Florida-Tampa, 2011-Present Email interview, December 2014 |
Student: How effective do you believe the United Nations is in promoting peaceful relationships between nations?
Dr. Roach: "The United Nations is charged with the task of enforcing international peace and security. It has mediated and adjudicated various conflicts via the Security Council and International Court of Justice respectively. In all, one can measure its success in terms of the many conflicts that it has either prevented or resolved, including most notably, the Gulf War 1990-91, as well as the countless peacekeeping missions it has implemented over the years. As you may already know, not all member states share equal power on the Security Council. The ten rotating non-permanent states , which serve two-year terms possess one vote on the council; however, the permanent five members, the US, China, Russia, France, and Britain, retain the power to veto any resolution that comes before the Council. Such power is clearly an anachronistic arrangement, which needs to be changed and which has hampered the success and/or credibility of the UN, especially in terms of stultifying international action in key issue areas such human rights, i.e., the failure to issue a resolution that would have arrested the conflict in Syria in 2011."
Student: In what ways has the United Nations been a leader and what legacies has it formed?
Dr. Roach: "A better question to ask here is how has the UN combated inequality. Equality in the context of the UN can be couched in terms of sovereign equality (of states) in which each state is accorded one vote in the General Assembly. The UN, in other words, does not directly monitor equality per se, as much as it monitors compliance with international norms and rules. Nonetheless, fighting or counteracting the effects of inequality highlights in part the UN's Millennium Goals project (2000), which seeks to address and fulfill various principles, including the eradication of poverty."
Student: How would the world be different if the United Nations did not exist How was the world prior to the existence of the United Nations?
Dr. Roach: "Very difficult, yet interesting question. But of course the UN was established at the very end of World War II in order to stop and prevent the destruction of another world war. Since that time, it has helped to develop and implement a range of international norms. As such, states (including the most powerful states) have learned to cooperate and work together within the various institutional venues within the UN to address and resolve problems in a range of issue areas, including nuclear proliferation, health, development, and the environment. Without the UN, states would not have had the opportunities to learn to cooperate on issues and to resolve conflicts requiring institutional channels of assistance, governance, and mediation at the global and international levels."
Student: What are some ways that we could improve the United Nations as a whole?
Dr. Roach: "A series of reforms were introduced in April 2005, as part of the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan's reform package. One of these included the Human Rights Council, which was later implemented the following year ( it has arguably improved the UN's ability to monitor human rights violations). Another reform deals with membership, most notably diversifying the membership of the Security Council, which in this case, would mean expanding the permanent members from 5 to 9 states and nonpermanent members from 11 to 15. Whether this latter measure will be implemented remains to be seen."
Student: Any other points you would like to mention about the United Nations or international political affairs in general:
Dr. Roach: "One last point would involve a better working relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the new court established in 1998 to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Here the UN has struggled, in various ways, to fulfill its role as independent arbiter of peace."
Dr. Roach: "The United Nations is charged with the task of enforcing international peace and security. It has mediated and adjudicated various conflicts via the Security Council and International Court of Justice respectively. In all, one can measure its success in terms of the many conflicts that it has either prevented or resolved, including most notably, the Gulf War 1990-91, as well as the countless peacekeeping missions it has implemented over the years. As you may already know, not all member states share equal power on the Security Council. The ten rotating non-permanent states , which serve two-year terms possess one vote on the council; however, the permanent five members, the US, China, Russia, France, and Britain, retain the power to veto any resolution that comes before the Council. Such power is clearly an anachronistic arrangement, which needs to be changed and which has hampered the success and/or credibility of the UN, especially in terms of stultifying international action in key issue areas such human rights, i.e., the failure to issue a resolution that would have arrested the conflict in Syria in 2011."
Student: In what ways has the United Nations been a leader and what legacies has it formed?
Dr. Roach: "A better question to ask here is how has the UN combated inequality. Equality in the context of the UN can be couched in terms of sovereign equality (of states) in which each state is accorded one vote in the General Assembly. The UN, in other words, does not directly monitor equality per se, as much as it monitors compliance with international norms and rules. Nonetheless, fighting or counteracting the effects of inequality highlights in part the UN's Millennium Goals project (2000), which seeks to address and fulfill various principles, including the eradication of poverty."
Student: How would the world be different if the United Nations did not exist How was the world prior to the existence of the United Nations?
Dr. Roach: "Very difficult, yet interesting question. But of course the UN was established at the very end of World War II in order to stop and prevent the destruction of another world war. Since that time, it has helped to develop and implement a range of international norms. As such, states (including the most powerful states) have learned to cooperate and work together within the various institutional venues within the UN to address and resolve problems in a range of issue areas, including nuclear proliferation, health, development, and the environment. Without the UN, states would not have had the opportunities to learn to cooperate on issues and to resolve conflicts requiring institutional channels of assistance, governance, and mediation at the global and international levels."
Student: What are some ways that we could improve the United Nations as a whole?
Dr. Roach: "A series of reforms were introduced in April 2005, as part of the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan's reform package. One of these included the Human Rights Council, which was later implemented the following year ( it has arguably improved the UN's ability to monitor human rights violations). Another reform deals with membership, most notably diversifying the membership of the Security Council, which in this case, would mean expanding the permanent members from 5 to 9 states and nonpermanent members from 11 to 15. Whether this latter measure will be implemented remains to be seen."
Student: Any other points you would like to mention about the United Nations or international political affairs in general:
Dr. Roach: "One last point would involve a better working relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the new court established in 1998 to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Here the UN has struggled, in various ways, to fulfill its role as independent arbiter of peace."