DECISION-MAKING IN THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL: A CASE STUDY OF THE RACE CONFLICT IN SOUTH AFRICA RESULTING FROM THE POLICIES OF APARTHEID

In this study an attempt is made to analyze decision-making in the United Nations Security Council on the race conflict in South Africa. This student addresses the problem of apartheid in relation to the efforts of the Security Council to resolve three key problems.;In the effort to analyze the pyramidal power structure of the UN under an aura of influence of the so-called "great powers", there is a leadership structure for the UN that reflects the salient roles of the permanent members namely: "communication, knowledge gathering, and storage; establishment of agenda, procedural norms, and allocation of responsibility.".;The significant findings of this study are the following: (1) The resolution of the apartheid problem by the United Nations is hampered by the voting patterns and the basis of representation in the Security Council. (2) The question of domestic jurisdiction has been given a political interpretation by South Africa and the western powers on the problem of apartheid. (3) Apartheid constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights and self-determination. The western powers ignore this fact because their national interest takes precedence over the implementation of the UN Charter. (4) The western powers are unable to support stern economic and military sanctions against South Africa because of their economic and strategic interests.;Finally, the resolution of the problem of apartheid lies outside the framework of the United Nations. Guerrilla warfare by the liberation movement may offer the best alternative for the resolution of apartheid.;The first is the problem of domestic jurisdiction with particular reference to South Africa's policies of apartheid. The second is the problem of the super power rivalry in the Security Council as reflected in the use of the veto to inhibit effective resolution of the problem. The third is the problem of achieving and maintaining consensus in the Security Council in applying sanctions against South Africa. This study employed the historical and analytical approaches.