An Unrealistic Proposal: An Argument Against the Enlargement of the United Nations Security Council

There is no shortage of threats to international peace and security facing the world today. Traditional threats now combine with those of a non-traditional nature to challenge the international community and its ability to handle a multiplicity of complex situations. While the threat of interstate violence has diminished due to globalization, regional conflicts still run the risk of quickly morphing into global confrontations. Yet, the most pressing issues of the new century challenge the traditional notion of state-to-state violence as the only significant threat to international peace, security, and prosperity. Global crises abound as civil wars, disease, terrorism, resource and energy shortages, human rights violations, poverty, nuclear proliferation, hunger, and a climate in peril all contribute to the burden facing the world and its institutional guardian, the United Na-tions Security Council (UNSC).RYAN DAVIS attended the University of Indianapolis, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and French. He has also attended a European summer program with the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague, the Czech Republic. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, with concentrations in International Law and Organizations as well as Conflict and Security Studies.