As Time Goes by: Action in the UN Security Council

Abstract

Abstract When an armed conflict erupts, what determines how long it will take for the United Nations Security Council to act? As described in the UN Charter, numerous actors, including Council members, the Secretary General, other UN member states, and potentially even non-member states have, the ability to place items on the Security Council's agenda. No one, however, can force the Council to take action on a given item. Once an issue is introduced on the Council's agenda, how long does it take for the members to meet on the topic in informal consultations, which have minimal audience costs—either within the institution or with home constituencies—because there are no public records available regarding these meetings? How long until a formal meeting is held (for which a verbatim record will be available, thus increasing the political investment)? How long until a resolution is passed that obligates states on the Council as well as all UN member nations to take action? Using data on civil conflicts and Council behavior from 1993–2019, we consider the factors that influence the pace of international response, including the location of the conflict, the intensity of the conflict, the relationship between the conflictual country and the permanent members of the Council, and the relationship between the permanent members themselves. In our analysis, we find the pace of action is driven more by the characteristics of the conflict than the politics of the Council, which differs from existing research on agenda-setting, which finds the preferences of the Council are key drivers.