When the Security Council Takes Action

The UN Security Council agreed upon sanctions against Libya, however, up to now, has objected to further resolutions against Syria. How are such selective decisions made? When does the UN Security Council take action in humanitarian states of emergency and when does it not? WZB researcher Martin Binder examined 44 humanitarian crises from 1991 to 2005 with this question in mind. The result: Intervention follows particular patterns.

A combination of four criteria play a role in 70 percent of all cases of UN Security Council intervention: Sanctions measures are resorted to when the humanitarian magnitude of a situation is great, and when the United Nations already intervened in the crisis in the past and is therefore concerned about its investment. However, both factors only lead to powerful intervention when a humanitarian crisis has significant negative consequences on neighboring states or is taking place in a weak state that can hardly defend itself against outsider influence.

A summary of research results can be found in the most recent issue of the quarterly magazine WZB-Mitteilungen.

To the press release (in German)