The Broken System: How the Veto Power Destroys the United Nations and the World - "Veto: The Moral Hazard A License to Kill"-Veto Power of the Broken System's Moral Failure - The Veto of the Broken System - The Broken System's Ultimate Truth - The Structural Violence of the Veto: A Legal, Moral, and Systemic Critique of UNSC Paralysis

 

"Veto: The Moral Hazard A License to Kill"

"The veto is not just dysfunctional—it is actively harmful, enabling mass atrocities and eroding the UN’s legitimacy."

—Whalid Safodien

The Feather Pen

The Broken System: How the Veto Power Destroys the United Nations and the World

"Those Who Control the Veto, Control the World—Even Over Genocide"

 

Veto Power of the Broken System's Moral Failure

"The Veto Power - Humanity's Greatest Moral Failure: Designed to Stop Wars, Now Used to Protect War Crimes, Transforming the UN From Peacekeeper to Massacre's Silent Partner."

The Veto of the Broken System

"A Weapon That Was Created to Prevent Atrocities But Now Serves Only to Legalize Them, Making the United Nations Complicit in Every Child's Death It Could Have Stopped But Didn't."

The Broken System's Ultimate Truth

"When One Nation's Veto Can Overrule Humanity's Conscience, Justice Itself Becomes the First Casualty of War."

—Whalid Safodien

The Feather Pen

 

In the grand theater of global justice, the United Nations was meant to be the last bastion of hope—a place where nations, great and small, could stand as equals before the law. Yet today, it stands exposed as a prisoner of power, where five nations hold the keys to life and death over millions, where one veto can silence the cries of the slaughtered, and where international law is reduced to a weapon of the strong against the weak.

The United States, wielding its veto like a scepter of impunity, has single-handedly paralyzed the UN in the face of Gaza’s annihilation. It has blocked ceasefires, shielded war crimes, and defied the world’s demand for justice—all while invoking "self-defense" as a license for slaughter. But this is not about Israel, nor Palestine alone. This is about the death of justice itself.

I. The Veto: A License to Kill

The veto was conceived in 1945 to prevent great-power conflict. Instead, it has become a tool of tyranny, granting the P5—the U.S., Russia, China, France, and Britain—the godlike power to veto morality.

• One U.S. veto can erase the votes of 14 nations.
• One U.S. veto can stop peacekeepers from saving children under rubble.
• One U.S. veto can nullify the Geneva Conventions, the ICJ, and the will of humanity.

Since 1972, the U.S. has cast over 45 vetoes to protect Israel—each one a green light for more bombs, more graves, more suffering. When the world demanded a ceasefire, the U.S. said no. When the ICJ ruled Israel must prevent genocide, the U.S. ensured no consequences. When the UN begged for aid access, the U.S. blocked it.

"What is the purpose of law if the powerful can burn it at will?"

II. The Criminal Effect: The Veto as a Weapon of Mass Injustice

The veto does not merely block resolutions—it legalizes atrocities. It transforms the UN from a guardian of peace into a collaborator in slaughter.

A. The Gaza Doctrine: Immunity Through Veto

• 7 October 2023 - 12 June 2025: U.S. vetoes a ceasefire. Result: over 60,000 dead.
• 2011: U.S. vetoes condemnation of settlements. Result: more than 700,000 settlers today.
• 2014: U.S. vetoes ICC war crimes probe. Result: No justice for massacres.

B. The Peacekeeper Paradox

The UN has deployed forces in Lebanon, Congo, Cyprus—yet not in Gaza. Why? Because Israel refuses, and the U.S. enforces its refusal. Aid workers die, children starve, hospitals burn—while the veto ensures no blue helmets arrive.

C. The Lawless World Order

The U.S. justifies its vetoes under Article 27 of the UN Charter—but what is the Charter worth if it protects genocide? The veto violates:

• The Geneva Conventions (collective punishment = war crime).
• The Genocide Convention (failure to prevent = complicity).
• The ICJ’s authority (rulings ignored with impunity).

III. The Great Lie: "The UN Cannot Override the Veto"

They say the system is unchangeable. This is a lie.

1. The Uniting for Peace Resolution (1950)

If the Security Council is paralyzed, the General Assembly can and must act. It has done so before—in Korea, Suez, even apartheid South Africa—yet today, cowardice prevails.

2. The ICJ and ICC: Justice Without Permission

• South Africa’s genocide case proves: The law can still speak, even if the U.S. gags the UN.
• The ICC can investigate—if nations pressure it to act.

3. The Global Rebellion

• Sanction the U.S. and Israel outside the UN.
• Boycott. Divest. Sanction. Just as apartheid fell, so too can this.
• Create a new coalition—bypass the veto, recognize Palestine, enforce justice.

IV. The Ultimate Question: What Is the UN For?

If the UN cannot stop a genocide…
If the UN cannot deploy peacekeepers to dying children…
If the UN exists only to rubber-stamp the crimes of the powerful…

Then what is it but a tombstone for justice?

The System is Broken—Will We Fix It or Bury It?

The veto was never meant to be a shield for slaughter. The UN was never meant to be a puppet of empires.

The world must choose:

• Reform the UN—abolish the veto, expand the Security Council.
• Enforce justice outside it—global sanctions, ICJ prosecutions, mass resistance.
• Or admit the truth: The UN is dead, and power rules, not law.

"When history judges this era, it will not ask why the killers acted—but why the world let them."

Will we be the generation that allowed the veto to destroy justice?
Or will we be the ones who tore it down?

The choice is ours. The time is now

The Structural Violence of the Veto: A Legal, Moral, and Systemic Critique of UNSC Paralysis

"The Veto: A License to Kill"

"The veto is not just dysfunctional—it is actively harmful, enabling mass atrocities and eroding the UN’s legitimacy."

 

—Whalid Safodien

 

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) veto power, enshrined in Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, was designed to prevent great-power conflict but has instead institutionalized structural violence—systemic harm perpetuated through legalized impunity. This paper dismantles the veto’s legitimacy through three axes:

1.        Juridical Illegitimacy – The veto violates jus cogens norms (genocide prevention, war crimes prohibitions) and creates a two-tiered legal system.

2.        Historical Contradictions – From a Cold War stability tool to a weapon of unilateral impunity (e.g., 45 of 89 U.S. vetoes since 1972 shielded Israeli military actions).

3.        Systemic Alternatives – Legal bypasses (General Assembly emergency sessions, ICJ rulings) and structural reforms (veto suspension, Security Council expansion).

Empirical analysis demonstrates that veto use correlates with escalations in civilian casualties (e.g., Gaza 2023–2025: 320% increase post-U.S. ceasefire vetoes). The paper concludes with actionable reforms to dismantle the veto’s structural violence.

 

I. The Veto as a Legal Anomaly

A. Contradictions with International Law

The veto exists in direct tension with:

·         The Genocide Convention (1948, Art. I) – Obligates all states to prevent genocide, yet vetoes block enforcement (e.g., U.S. vetoes of Gaza ceasefires despite ICJ provisional measures in South Africa v. Israel).

·         Geneva Conventions (1949) – Vetoes enable collective punishment (e.g., blocking condemnation of siege tactics in Syria and Gaza).

·         Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969, Art. 53) – Treaties violating jus cogens are void. The veto’s use to shield atrocities renders it legally suspect.

Case Study: The 2024 U.S. Gaza Ceasefire Veto

·         Directly contravened the ICJ’s provisional measures under UN Charter Art. 94(1) (compliance with ICJ rulings).

·         Violated the Duty to Prevent Genocide (Bosnia v. Serbia, ICJ 2007).

B. Historical Drift from Original Intent

·         1945–1991 (Cold War): 279 vetoes, primarily bloc politics (e.g., USSR shielding allies).

·         Post-1991 (Unipolar/Multipolar Eras):

o    U.S. Dominance (1991–2008): Vetoes shielded Israel (e.g., 2006 Lebanon War, 2014 Gaza bombing).

o    Resurgent Multipolarity (2008–2025): Russia/China vetoes on Syria, Ukraine; U.S. vetoes on Palestine.

Key Finding: The veto no longer prevents great-power war—it enables proxy wars and atrocities.

 

II. The Veto as a Moral Failure

A. Quantifying Humanitarian Costs

Conflict	Veto Power	Result	Civilian Casualties
Gaza (2023–2025)	U.S.	Blocked 4 ceasefires	320% increase (OHCHR)
Syria (2011–2024)	Russia	Blocked 17 ICC referrals	300k+ dead (UN data)
Myanmar (2017–2022)	China	Shielded junta from sanctions	25k+ Rohingya killed

B. The "Moral Hazard" of P5 Power

·         P5 States: Immune from accountability (e.g., U.S. blocks ICC probes into Afghanistan; Russia blocks Syria referrals).

·         Non-P5 States: Sanctioned or prosecuted (e.g., Sudan, Libya, Yugoslavia).

Legal Apartheid: The veto entrenches a two-tiered international system where P5 clients operate with impunity.

 

III. Pathways to Reform

A. Legal Circumvention

1.        Uniting for Peace (GA Res. 377A, 1950)

o    General Assembly can override vetoes with a 2/3 majority (used in Korea 1950, Suez Crisis 1956).

o    Proposal: Automatic GA emergency session after any veto on atrocity resolutions.

2.        ICJ Advisory Opinions

o    Could rule veto misuse violates UN Charter Art. 24(2) (duty to act in the interests of peace).

B. Structural Reforms

1.        Veto Restriction

o    France/Mexico 2015 Proposal: Voluntary veto restraint in mass-atrocity cases.

o    Enforcement Mechanism: Tie P5 funding to compliance (e.g., withhold UN dues for veto abuse).

2.        Security Council Expansion

o    Africa & Latin America: 35% of UN membership, zero permanent seats.

o    Model: G4 (Brazil, Germany, India, Japan) + AU (African Union) proposal for 6 new permanent seats.

C. Extra-UN Accountability

1.        Sanctions Coalitions

o    Magnitsky-style sanctions on officials responsible for vetoing atrocity resolutions.

2.        Domestic Litigation

o    Universal jurisdiction cases (e.g., German courts prosecuting Syria war crimes).

 

The Veto as a Threat to Global Order

The UNSC’s paralysis risks irrelevance, as states turn to:

·         Parallel Institutions (BRICS, African Union)

·         Unilateral Enforcement (NATO strikes, coalitions of the willing)

If the UN cannot reform, states will work around it.

 

Policy Recommendations

Immediate (2025–2027)

 General Assembly Override Mechanism – Automatic emergency session after any veto on genocide/war crimes.
 ICJ Advisory Opinion – Clarify if vetoes violating jus cogens are ultra vires.

Intermediate (2027–2031)

 Veto Suspension for Atrocity Cases – Binding GA resolution under Uniting for Peace.
 P5 Code of Conduct – Voluntary moratorium on vetoes blocking ICC referrals.

Long-Term (2031+)

Charter Amendment Abolishing the Veto – Requires P5 consent, but global pressure can force compliance.
Treaty-Based Alternative – Global Atrocity Prevention Treaty with independent enforcement.

 

The Cost of Inaction

The veto is not just dysfunctional—it is actively harmful, enabling mass atrocities and eroding the UN’s legitimacy. Reform is not idealism; it is survival. Without change, the UN risks becoming a relic, replaced by ad-hoc coalitions and great-power brinkmanship.