Why the UN Still Fails at Solving Island Disputes?

Introduction

The United Nations has played a significant role in solving island disputes around the world. In 1974, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming the right of all people to self-determination, which was key in resolving the dispute between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. The UN has also been involved in mediating disputes between Thailand and Cambodia over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, and between Malaysia and Singapore over Pedra Branca Island (Chesterman, 2015). In each of these cases, the UN was able to bring the parties together and facilitate a peaceful resolution. The organization's successes in resolving island disputes underscore its importance as a global peacekeeping body.

The expansion of the United Nations Security Councils (UNSC) role in island disputes has been a contentious issue since the founding of the UN. The UNSC is mandated to maintain international peace and security, and over the years it has become increasingly involved in island disputes. In some cases, such as the Falkland Islands dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom, the UNSC has been able to broker a peaceful resolution. In others, such as the Senkaku Islands dispute between China and Japan, the UNSC has been unable to reach a consensus and the dispute continues.

There are a number of methods and means of solving island disputes through the UNSC. One is mediation, which is when an impartial third party helps the parties to reach a mutually-agreeable solution. Another is arbitration, which is when a panel of experts makes a binding decision on the dispute. A third option is adjudication, which is when a court or tribunal renders a legally-binding decision on the dispute. Finally, there is negotiation, which is when the parties to the dispute negotiate directly with each other to try to reach a solution.

The UNSC has used all of these methods at various times, with varying degrees of success. In some cases, such as mediation, the UNSC has been successful in helping the parties to reach a mutually-agreeable solution. In others, such as arbitration, the UNSC has been unable to reach a consensus and the dispute continues. Ultimately, each case must be evaluated on its own merits in order to determine which method or combination of methods is most likely to lead to a successful outcome.

The role the UN plays today was foretold by the League of Nations beginning in 1920. The League achieved some success in solving international disputes, notably the Aaland Islands dispute in 1921 and the Corfu incident in 1923 (Tosi, 2017). The UN has a similar mandate to the League of Nations, namely to maintain world peace and promote international cooperation. It too has had some successes, such as settling the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Falklands War in 1982. The UN is currently working with the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to resolve conflicts that continue today (De Waal, 2021).

Still, there are many reasons why these disputes continue, including the fact that most of the islands in question are located in strategic waterways. This means that controlling these islands gives a country an important military advantage. In addition, many of the islands are rich in natural resources, which makes them valuable for both economic and political reasons. As a result, countries are often unwilling to compromise when it comes to island disputes. The UN has tried to mediate these disputes on several occasions, but without success. Ultimately, the UN's inability to resolve island disputes is due to the fact that countries are simply too invested in maintaining control over these pieces of land.

Moreover, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has been used to settle island disputes in the past. The Convention could be said to provide a comprehensive legal framework for managing maritime disputes, and it has...

Hypothesizing that the UN has failed to resolve island disputes for a different reasons, one can aim to provide beneficial research that raises awareness of the need for reform. First, the research should show that UN does not have an adequate mechanism for adjudicating these disputes. Second, it may show that the UN has no adequate enforcement mechanism to compel states to comply with its decisions. Third, it may show that the UN does not have adequate resources to effectively mediate these island disputes.

Thus, this research will be beneficial in three ways. First, it will help to identify the reasons why the UN has failed to resolve island disputes. It may for example reveal how different types of islands are likely to be contested by different kinds of countries. For example, the research could show that countries are more likely to contest uninhabited islands than those that are inhabited. It may also show that island disputes are more likely to occur between countries that have a history of conflict.

Second, this research will help to develop a better understanding of how these disputes can be resolved. My research could seek to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on this topic by, for instance, providing a detailed analysis of how the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea can be used to resolve island disputes. I believe that such research could help to develop a better understanding of how island disputes can be resolved by the UN and contribute to the peaceful resolution of these types of disputes in the future.

Third, this research will help to provide a deeper understanding of the UN's role in dispute resolution. Through interviews with island natives, I might hope to gain insight into how the UN has impacted their lives and whether or not they believe it to be an effective organization. By understanding the lived experiences of those who are directly affected by the UN's work, one culd hope to…