The UN Charter and the use of force
What are the rules under the UN Charter for authorising the use of force?
Activity: Self-assessment exercise
Answer true or false to the following questions. Check your answers.
1. The United Nations Charter outlaws the use of force by one member state against other except in cases of self-defence or where the UN Security Council has authorized it.
Answer: True.These are the only two legitimate circumstances under which the UN Charter permits the use of force.
2. The UN Security Council has never authorized member states to intervene militarily in other states for the purposes of protecting human rights.
Answer: False.Though it rarely takes this step, it has done so on a few occasions, most recently in Libya in 2011, usually expressing its concern in terms of protecting civilians.
3. The mandates of UN peacekeeping operations typically now include a duty to protect civilians where it is feasible for them to do so.
Answer: True.Although traditional peacekeeping was limited to ceasefire monitoring and demilitarization efforts, all new peacekeeping operations since 2000 have included some civilian protection function, and these missions usually include a civilian human rights monitoring component.