This volume discusses the legal limits to the authority of the Security Council under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The interest in this topic regained importance when the Security Council started to play an increasingly active role after a period of dormancy between 1945 and 1990. The work describes various approaches to Charter interpretation, provides an overview of the Council's powers under the Charter and surveys the Council's recent practice with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security. Subsequently the sources and contents of the limits to the Council's authority are analyzed. This is followed by an analysis of the role of the International Court of Justice, which includes an overview of the main obstacles to, and possibilities of, judicial review by the Court of Council decisions taken under Chapter VII. Finally, the work discusses recent proposals to enhance the Council's legitimacy.

This volume discusses the legal limits to the authority of the Security Council under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The interest in this topic regained importance when the Security Council started to play an increasingly active role after a period of dormancy between 1945 and 1990. The work describes various approaches to Charter interpretation, provides an overview of the Council's powers under the Charter and surveys the Council's recent practice with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security. Subsequently the sources and contents of the limits to the Council's authority are analyzed. This is followed by an analysis of the role of the International Court of Justice, which includes an overview of the main obstacles to, and possibilities of, judicial review by the Court of Council decisions taken under Chapter VII. Finally, the work discusses recent proposals to enhance the Council's legitimacy.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the powers of the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

This book examines one of the most important challenges facing the United Nations today: the effective and lawful use of force by or under the authority of the UN to maintain or restore peace. It makes a significant contribution to the content of the law pertaining to the use of force by the UN and provides guidance as to the likely future developments in the legal framework governing collective action to maintain peace under the auspices of the United Nations.

The Charter of the United Nations was signed in 1945 by 51 countries representing all continents, paving the way for the creation of the United Nations on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice forms part of the Charter. The aim of the Charter is to save humanity from war; to reaffirm human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person; to proclaim the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; and to promote the prosperity of all humankind. The Charter is the foundation of international peace and security.