The United Nations is structured around two primary bodies that function with different levels of influence. The General Assembly is composed of all member nations, each holding a single vote, which creates a facade of democratic equality in international decision-making. However, the actual authority to enforce resolutions and make binding decisions regarding international peace and security rests with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The Security Council consists of 15 members, but power is heavily concentrated among five permanent members: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. These five nations hold the exclusive power of veto, allowing any one of them to unilaterally block any substantive resolution, regardless of the level of support from other council members or the broader General Assembly. This system effectively creates a two-tiered hierarchy within the organization, where the vast majority of the 193 member states have no mechanism to override the objections of the permanent five. Critics often point to this arrangement as a relic of the post-World War II era that limits the UN’s ability to act decisively when the interests of these five nations diverge.