Optimum world order beyond war: a long view on current challenges*

The mandate of the United Nations (UN) includes economic development, environmental protection, and the promotion of the international rule of law as components of its goal of building an optimum world order. But it is clear that an optimum world order cannot be accomplished without first securing a minimum of peace and security at the international level. The Russian ` special military operation' against Ukraine, which commenced on 24 February 2022, poses a grave threat to humanity, not only because of the nature of the invasion itself, but also because it was launched by a nuclear power. It has exposed the shortcomings of the UN system of collective security. While the incomplete and hence ineffective UN system of collective security was attributable to the Cold War for the first 50 years of its existence, problems associated with the system currently are attributable to new geopolitical struggles. This article reviews the past and present efforts of the international community to construct a new world order based on the lessons it learnt from two world wars. Principles of sovereign equality and self- determination, the prohibition of the use of force, and the peaceful settlement of disputes are cornerstones of the world order embodied in the UN Charter. But reform of the composition and procedures of the UN Security Council, including potential judicial review of its decisions, are condition precedent for international peace and security. Given the grave impact of the Ukraine crisis on millions of innocent victims in Ukraine and worldwide, the war should be resolved expeditiously, placing the plight of those victims over and above the strategic interests of the parties directly involved.