Call for Book Chapters: Reforms at the United Nations
Book Proposal
Title: Reforms at United Nations
Jointly edited by Professor (Dr.) Vesselin Popovski and Mr. Pawan Kumar
About the planned book:
As the US Secretary of State, Cordel Hull recalled, ‘from the moment when Hitler’s invasion of Poland revealed the bankruptcy of all existing methods to preserve peace, it became evident that we must begin almost immediately to plan the creation of a new system’.[1]
After the first World War, we had got League of Nations commanded through Treaty of Versailles and this institution worked for roughly 40 years. Before League of Nations, the concept of nation states in Westphalian regime became evident. The League failed because the world superpower USA never joined it, permanent members of Council-Germany, Japan and Italy left the institution and it failed to attract new members. When League started working in 1920, it had 42 members, when it was failed, it had only 43 but the legacy of the league is overwhelming. It has shown how international institutions work and how it should not work.
After the second World War, we got United Nations through many negotiations, mostly through political offices of USA, UK and USSR. One of the distinctive features of UN is it ability to enforce decisions through a small cabinet, Security Council. United Nations system has worked effectively in last 75 years or so but there have been occasions when it has failed. Some examples are Korean Peninsular war in 1950 which led General Assembly to adopt Uniting for Peace Resolution, the failure to stop ethnic cleansing in Former Yugoslav states and Rwanda, failure to protect Somalian genocide and more recently, the invasion on Ukraine by Russia and continuous threat to use nukes.
These failures can be reprimanded if certain reforms are carried into the UN system and more so, the world watchdog, Security Council.
The veto power used by 5 permanent members need to be rechecked and there is growing demand to expand the permanent membership of Security Council. Some countries with great economy and military force like India, Brazil, Japan, Italy, and South Africa have aspired to join the Council as permanent member.
This book tries to address some of the pressing issues relating to reforms at United Nations generally and more specifically Security Council.
Broad themes:
Some of the research issues which the book aims to cover are:
- Reforms at United Nations-General and Specific Comments.
- Expansion of Security Council.
- Veto Powers and World Politics.
- United Nations, Wars and Human Rights Violations.
- Specific Chamber of General Assembly (Senate).
- Appraisals and Criticisms of United Nations.
- Small States and the Rise of World Diplomacy.
- Climate Change, Migration and United Nations.
- Africa, Sub Sahara, and United Nations.
- Asia and United Nations.
- Middle East and United Nations.
- Caribbeans and United Nations.
- Supranational Institutions and United Nations.
- West and United Nations.
- Global South and United Nations.
These themes are indicative only. Any work related to the scope of the book would be considered.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
Interested scholars from around the globe are invited to submit an abstract/proposed book chapter outline in no longer than 350 words by 10th April 2022 to betterworld.law@gmail.com (please use “Call for Book Chapters – Reforms at United Nations” as the subject line of your e-mail) for double blind peer review).
Authors will be notified about selection of abstract by 15th April 2023. Full drafts of chapters in 5000 words with OSCOLA citation style must be submitted no later than 15th July 2023. Full drafts will go for double blind peer review, and it is expected from contributors to incorporate changes if suggested. The book is expected to be published by October 2023.
About the Editors:
Professor (Dr.) Vesselin Popovski is Professor and Vice Dean, Jindal Global Law School, OP Jindal Global University and Executive Director of Centre for the Study of United Nations. As a senior academician and diplomat having served at United Nations University, United Nations Staff Management Committee, United Nations Working Group on Elimination of Discrimination of Leprosy Affected People and Their Families among many others, he has written more than 15 books published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Sage Publishing, Ashgate, Routledge, UNU Press to name a few.
Pawan Kumar is an Assistant Professor at School of Law, Bennett University. He read B.A, LL.B at Chanakya National Law University, LL.M in International Legal Studies at South Asian University and Ph.D at the Indian Law Institute. He has one book in pursuit to be published by Bloomsbury.
[1] Hull, Memoirs, New York, Macmillan, 1948, ii at 1625.