Course description

The United Nations, founded in 1945, today has 193 Member States. Tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council of the United Nations plays a prominent role in the United Nations as system of collective security. It is the Security Council’s responsibility to react to international crises by either peaceful means (Chapter VI of the UN-Charter) or even forceful measures (Chapter VII of the UN-Charter), once it has determined a breach or threat to peace and security.

This class takes a closer look at Chapter VII and especially Article 39 of the UN-Charter. It asks if the content and meaning of “international peace and security” has changed over the years, especially in light of the growing influence of international human rights. Is peace just the absence of war or are there more elements to take into consideration? How does the Security Council define “international peace and security” and a breach or threat thereof? As the determination of the Security Council of a situation as breach or threat to peace and security leads to wide-ranging competences according to Chapter VII of the UN-Charter, the aforementioned question is of crucial importance. At the same time the questions arise: what if the Council does not act, f.e. because of the blockade by a veto-holding member; or: who controls the decisions of the Council?

The class will start with introductory classes on the United Nations, the Security Council, and Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. Participants are expected to choose from one of the following topics (max. two persons per topic = team work!), prepare a 6-8 page summary (plus bibliography) on the subject and present it to the class via Powerpoint (or other) Presentation. The class will be held in English on Wednesdays, 14.00 – 16.00 h. Successful participants will receive 5 ECTS-credits and a “Proof of Legal Language Skills in English” pursuant to § 8 para. 2 of the study regulations for the study of law with the first legal examination of 25 March 2015 – Fremdsprachenfachkompetenz. The final grade will be determined according to the summary paper (1/3), the presentation (1/3), and the answers submitted for the Topic Questions or Tasks, additional points can be achieved through an active participation in the discussions.

Please prepare to be ONLINE for classes held on Wednesdays, 14.00 – 16.00 h, starting on 4 November 2020.

If you are interested in International Public Law and have a good command of the English language, please register with Campus Management. In addition, please send three choices of topics via Email until 1 November 2020 to Peggy Wittke (peg@zedat.fu-berlin.de).

Topics

1. Apartheid as Threat to Peace: The Situation in South Africa in the 1970s (Summary and Presentation due on 16 November, 12.00 h, via Email)
2. Iraq and the Kurds: Resolution 688 (1991) of the UN Security Council (Summary and Presentation due on 23 November, 12.00 h, via Email)
3. The Humanitarian Tragedy in Somalia: Resolution 794 (1992) of the Security Council (Summary and Presentation due on 30 November, 12.00 h, via Email)
4. The Genocide in Rwanda (1994) (Summary and Presentation due on 7 December, 12.00 h, via Email)
5. The Debate over Accountability: The Massacre of Srebrenica (1995) (Summary and Presentation due on 14 December, 12.00 h, via Email)
6. The Deadlocked Security Council I: The Case of Kosovo (1999) (Summary and Presentation due on 4 January, 12.00 h, via Email)
7. Chapter VII, Article 51 and Attacks by Non-state Actors (Summary and Presentation due on 11 January, 12.00 h, via Email)
8. The Fall of Saddam Hussein: The US-Iraq War (2003) and Its Implications for International Public Law (Summary and Presentation due on 18 January, 12.00 h, via Email)
9. The Crimean Crisis and the Response of the United Nations (2014) (Summary and Presentation due on 25 January, 12.00 h, via Email)
10. The Responsibility to Protect: An Emerging Norm? (Summary and Presentation due on 1 February, 12.00 h, via Email)
11. The Deadlocked Security Council II: The Situation in Syria (Summary and Presentation due on 1 February, 12.00 h, via Email)
12. The Security Council as World Legislator: The Debate over Resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004) (Summary and Presentation due on 8 February, 12.00 h, via Email)
13. The Security Council and Climate Change (Summary and Presentation due on 15 February, 12.00 h, via Email)
14. The Security Council and the Corona Pandemic (Summary and Presentation due on 22 February, 12.00 h, via Email)

Preliminary Schedule

Class takes place Wednesdays, 14 - 16h.

	Date	Session
1	4 November 2020	Introduction to the United Nations System Peggy Wittke
2	11 November 2020	Peace and Security Peggy Wittke
3	18 November 2020	Apartheid as Threat to Peace: The Situation in South Africa in the 1970s
4	25 November 2020	Iraq and the Kurds: Resolution 688 (1991) of the UN Security Council
5	2 December 2020	The Humanitarian Tragedy in Somalia: Resolution 794 (1992) of the Security Council
6	9 December 2020	The Genocide in Rwanda (1994)
7	16 December 2020	The Debate over Accountability: The Massacre of Srebrenica (1995)
8	6 January 2021	The Deadlocked Security Council I: The Case of Kosovo (1999)
9	13 January 2021	Chapter VII, Article 51 and Attacks by Non-state Actors
10	20 January 2021	The Fall of Saddam Hussein: The US-Iraq War (2003) and Its Implications for International Public Law
11	27 January 2021	The Crimean Crisis and the Response of the United Nations (2014)
12	3 February 2021	The Responsibility to Protect: An Emerging Norm? The Deadlocked Security Council II: The Situation in Syria
13	10 February 2021	The Security Council as World Legislator: The Debate over Resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004)
14	17 February 2021	The Security Council and Climate Change
15	24 February 2021	The Security Council and the Corona Pandemic

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