International Relations 101: Voting Rules and Veto Power on the United Nations Security Council

This lecture explains the voting rules on the United Nations Security Council. Resolutions require a supermajority, and each of the permanent members has veto power. The lecture also explains the origins of that veto power and its evolution over time.

0:00 The Explicit Rules
0:56 Supermajority Example
1:25 Veto Example
1:59 Abstaining
2:36 World War II and the Origins of Veto Power
3:08 The Legitimacy vs Irrelevance Tradeoff
3:37 The Failure of the League of Nations
4:37 Expansion: Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan
5:42 The Original Permanent Members
6:10 The Chinese Civil War
6:57 The Soviet Boycott
7:50 Korean War Intervention
8:33 General Assembly Resolution 2758
9:46 Post-Cold War Changes
11:46 Vetoes over Time
13:10 Strategic Voting?

[rozaroz]

you did a superb job making these enormously valuable videos available to the world at large 🙏🏻

[PunmasterSTP]

Thanks for giving me another intriguing look into a world I know almost nothing about!

[Jessica-pdih]

Why did the veto interests regarding Middle East affairs turn from US to Russia after 2012

[VedantKotha]

9:41 why did the vote still go through even though the United sates vetoed it?

[sskumaran]

May I know when india will get its permanent membership in UN council

[erikagpascual]

1:26 literally depicts the Gaza ceasefire resolution in 2023