The United Nations is currently facing significant obstacles in its primary mission to ensure global peace and security. According to Fanny Badache, a researcher at Sciences Po and lecturer at the University of Geneva, the organization is navigating an international order that has become increasingly volatile and unpredictable. This environment has led to a level of global violence not seen in several decades.

At the core of the issue is the structure of the UN Security Council. While the UN is tasked with maintaining order, its operational capacity is fundamentally tied to the cooperation of its member states. Specifically, the five permanent members of the Security Council hold significant influence over the organization's ability to act. When these powerful nations are divided, the mechanisms intended to facilitate collective security often fail, resulting in institutional paralysis.

Badache notes that the UN was designed to function under a specific set of assumptions regarding international cooperation. As those assumptions break down in the face of modern geopolitical shifts, the UN finds itself unable to effectively intervene in many ongoing conflicts. The current situation highlights a tension between the UN’s original mandate and the reality of a fragmented global landscape where sovereign interests frequently override collective security goals.