Beyond the UNSC: The Rise of Regional Organizations in Global Security Governance

Abstract

The regular incapacity of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to manage international disputes due to the veto-driven stagnation among its permanent members has increasingly pushed regional organizations into critical roles in global security governance. This paper explores how regional organizations—specifically the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the African Union (AU), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—have assumed responsibilities in conflict management and diplomacy when UNSC action is blocked. It inquires whether these organizations are able to meaningfully supplement or offset the UNSC inaction, contending that although they cannot fully substitute the Security Council, they have nevertheless emerged as indispensable actors in sustaining peace and stability. Through an analysis of NATO’s involvement in Kosovo and Afghanistan, the AU’s peacekeeping in Sudan and Mali, and ASEAN’s engagement in Myanmar and the South China Sea, the paper examines both the achievements and constraints of regional approaches. These include limited financial resources, political divisions, and continued reliance on UNSC authorization and funding. Their legal mandate, anchored in Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter and developments such as UNSC Resolution 2719 (2023), deliniates the scope of their autonomy. Additionally, the rise of non-conventional threats such as cyber conflict and climate-related insecurity poses novel challenges. The study concludes, underscoring the necessity of closer coordination with the UNSC and internal reform, so that regional organizations can contribute more effectively to a decentralized and multipolar global security order.

Keywords

• UN Security Council
• regional organizations
• NATO
• African Union
• ASEAN
• global security governance
• veto power
• peacekeeping
• Chapter VIII
• UNSC Resolution 2719

BM Güvenlik Konseyi’nin Ötesinde: Küresel Güvenlik Yönetişiminde Bölgesel Örgütlerin Yükselişi

Abstract

Birleşmiş Milletler Güvenlik Konseyi’nin (BMGK) sürekli üyeleri arasındaki veto kaynaklı tıkanıklık nedeniyle uluslararası anlaşmazlıkları yönetmedeki düzenli yetersizliği, bölgesel örgütleri küresel güvenlik yönetiminde giderek daha kritik konumlara taşımaktadır. Bu çalışma, NATO, Afrika Birliği (AU) ve Güneydoğu Asya Ülkeleri Birliği (ASEAN) gibi bölgesel örgütlerin, BMGK’nın jeopolitik çıkmazlar nedeniyle işlevsiz kaldığı durumlarda çatışmaları yönetme ve diplomatik çözümler üretme konusunda üstlendikleri önemli liderlik ve müdahale rollerini incelemektedir. Bölgesel yaklaşımların kapasite ve sınırlılıklarını vurgulamak amacıyla NATO’nun Kosova ve Afganistan müdahaleleri, Afrika Birliği’nin Sudan ve Mali’deki barışı koruma misyonları ile ASEAN’ın Güney Çin Denizi ve Myanmar’daki diplomatik çabaları analiz edilmektedir. Bu örgütler artan görünürlüklerine rağmen finansal kısıtlamalar, iç siyasi çatışmalar ve BMGK’nın onayına ve finansmanına bağımlılık gibi önemli zorluklarla halen karşı karşıyadırlar. Sonuç olarak bu çalışma, merkeziyetçi olmayan küresel güvenlik yönetimini güçlendirmek amacıyla bölgesel örgütler arasında daha iyi bir işbirliği ve yapısal değişimlerin gerekli olduğunun altını çizmektedir.

Keywords

• BM Güvenlik Konseyi
• bölgesel örgütler
• NATO
• Afrika Birliği
• ASEAN
• küresel güvenlik yönetişimi
• veto yetkisi
• barışı koruma
• BM Şartı VIII. Bölüm
• BMGK Kararı 2719

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