Russia's membership in the United Nations after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, was the succession of the Soviet Union's seat, including its permanent membership on the UN Security Council. The succession was supported by the USSR's former members and was not objected to by the UN membership; Russia accounted for about half the Soviet Union's economy and most of its land mass; in addition, the history of the Soviet Union began in Russia. If there was to be a successor to the Soviet seat on the Security Council among the former Soviet republics, these factors made Russia seem like a logical choice. Nonetheless, due to the rather inflexible wording of the United Nations Charter and its lack of provision for succession, the succession's technical legality has been questioned by some international lawyers. The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... http://www. ... The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. ...

History

Chapter V, Article 23 of the UN Charter, adopted in 1945, provides that "The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the Security Council".[1] (http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/) 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... National motto: None Official language Mandarin Chinese Capital and largest city Taipei President Chen Shui-bian Premier Frank Hsieh Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 138th 35,980 km² 2. ... Soviet redirects here. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent...

The USSR collapsed in the early 1990s. Eleven of the twelve members of the Commonwealth of Independent States signed a declaration on December 21, 1991 agreeing that "Member states of the Commonwealth support Russia in taking over the USSR membership in the UN, including permanent membership in the Security Council." One day before the resignation of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Ambassador Y. Vorontsov transmitted to the UN Secretary-General a letter from President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin stating that: Events and trends Technology The World Wide Web was born at CERN Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft... The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 11 of the 15 former Soviet Republics, the exceptions being the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), and Georgia. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: ; Pronunciation: mih-kha-ILL ser-GHE-ye-vich gor-bah-CHOFF) (born March 2, 1931), was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ... Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin  listen (Борис Николаевич Ельцин, b. ...

the membership of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the United Nations, including the Security Council and all other organs and organizations of the United Nations system, is being continued by the Russian Federation (RSFSR) with the support of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In this connection, I request that the name `Russian Federation' should be used in the United Nations in place of the name `the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. The Russian Federation maintains full responsibility for all the rights and obligations of the USSR under the Charter of the United Nations, including the financial obligations. I request that you consider this letter as confirmation of the credentials to represent the Russian Federation in United Nations organs for all the persons currently holding the credentials of representatives of the USSR to the United Nations.

The Secretary-General circulated the request among the UN membership. There being no objection, the Russian Federation took the USSR's place, with Boris Yeltsin personally taking the Russian Federation's seat at the January 31, 1992 Security Council meeting. January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Legality

The legality of the succession has been called into question by international lawyer Yehuda Z. Blum, who opined that "with the demise of the Soviet Union itself, its membership in the UN should have automatically lapsed and Russia should have been admitted to membership in the same way as the other newly-independent republics (except for Belarus and Ukraine)." The elimination of Soviet (and subsequently Russian) membership on the UN Security Council would have created a constitutional crisis for the UN, which may be why the UN Secretary-General and members did not object. This situation could have been avoided had all the other nations but Russia seceded from the USSR, allowing the USSR to continued existing as a legal entity.[2] (http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol3/No2/art8-02.html#TopOfPage) Constitutional crisis - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

A mere change of name by itself, from the USSR to the Russian Federation, would not have barred Russia from succeeding the USSR. Zaire changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and retained its UN seat. A change in the USSR's system of government likewise would not have prevented the succession; Egypt and many other countries have made a transition from monarchy to republic without jeopardizing their positions in international organizations. However, Blum argues that a key difference between these situations is that the Soviet Union was terminated as a legal entity. The 11 former members nations that supported the transfer of the seat to Russia also declared that "with the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist." The poorly-defined rules on state succession make the legal situation murky. For related meanings see also Monarch (disambiguation) A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ...

Professor Rein Mullerson concluded that the succession was legitimate, identifying three reasons: "Firstly, after the dissolution, Russia is still remains one of the largest States in the world geographically and demographically. Secondly, Soviet Russia after 1917 and especially the Soviet Union after 1922 were treated as continuing the same State as existed under the Russian Empire. These are objective factors to show that Russia is the continuation of the Soviet Union. The third reason which forms the subjective factor is the State’s behaviour and the recognition of the continuity by the third States".[3] (http://www.turkishpilots.org/DOCUMENTS/Nihan_UNLU.htm) 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties was not a factor in the succession because that Convention did not enter into force until 1996. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Effect on the United Nations

The transition led to increased debate on the relevance of the 1945 system of a Security Council dominated by five permanent members to the present world situation. Russiansabroad notes that Russia is "only half the size of the former Soviet economy"; the transition thus marked a significant change in the entity exercising this permanent seat.[4] (http://www.russiansabroad.com/russian_history_184.html) Mohamed Sid-Ahmed noted that "one of the five powers enjoying veto prerogatives in the Security Council has undergone a fundamental identity change. When the Soviet Union became Russia, its status changed from that of a superpower at the head of the communist camp to that of a society aspiring to become part of the capitalist world. Russia's permanent membership in the Security Council is no longer taken for granted. The global ideological struggle that had for so long dominated the international scene is no more, and the new realities have to be translated into a different set of global institutions".[5] (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/reform/ahmed.htm) 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A superpower is a state with the ability to influence events or project power on a global scale. ...

The years following the breakup of the Soviet Union have seen a dramatic increase in the number of proposals for Security Council reform. In 2005, Kofi Annan's report In Larger Freedom proposed finalizing arrangement to add more permanent seats as soon as possible. Campaigns to abolish the veto have also gained support, although their adoption is unlikely in the near future, since it would require the consent of the Permanent Five. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Order: 7th Secretary-General Term of Office: January 1, 1997–present Predecessor: Boutros Boutros-Ghali Successor: incumbent Born: April 8, 1938 Place of birth: Kumasi, Ghana Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...

Global Policy Forum has several statements from the Permanent Five on file giving arguments for why the current system should be maintained. Russia, for instance, states the veto is necessary for "balanced and sustainable decisions".[6] (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/docs/russia99.htm) Global Policy Forum, or GPF, is an organization seeking to promote accountability of international organizations such as the United Nations and strengthen international law. ...

Interchangeability of terms

Even while the Soviet Union was a going concern, outsiders did use the term "Russia", when strictly speaking they should have said "Soviet Union". Even Mikhail Gorbachev himself made this slip of the tongue on at least one occasion, only to immediately correct himself.

See also

• Succession of states theory

The succession of states theory asserts that all possessions and territory held by a state are automatically transferred to the state which succeeds it. ...

References

• Blum, Yehuda Z.: Russia Takes Over the Soviet Union's Seat at the United Nations (http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol3/No2/art8.html#P28_7521), European Journal of International Law.
• Mullerson, Rein: The Continuity and Succession of States, by Reference to the Former USSR and Yugoslavia (http://www.turkishpilots.org/DOCUMENTS/Nihan_UNLU.htm), (1993) 42 AJIL, p 476
• Russia Vetoes the Abolition of the Veto (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/docs/russia99.htm), Statement by a Representative of the Russian Federation in the Open-Ended Working Group on Security Council Reform on Veto Issue, Mar. 24, 1999.
• Chapter 6. The Economy (http://www.russiansabroad.com/russian_history_184.html), Russianabroad.
• Sid-Ahmed, Mohamed: P-5 Veto Outdated (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/reform/ahmed.htm), Cairo Al-Ahram, July 8-14, 1999.
• United Nations Charter (http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/).
• Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties (http://www.un.org/law/ilc/texts/tresufra.htm).