The United Nations (UN) represents the pinnacle of the post-Second World War system. But just how effective is it today in the face of the crisis facing Ukraine, triggered by its next door neighbour Russia?
The answer is steeped in ambivalence, and yet the global community still has to resort to the UN as the main artery of international relations to deal with that puzzle, as the UN embodies multilateralism which is preferable to unilateralism.
The answer also depends on whether the outlook is based on the (dys)function of the UN Security Council (SC), a 15-member organ vested with the power to "police" and "punish" through sanctions, or whether international society can access other checks and balances beyond the SC.
