While the ability of the UN itself to resolve and respond to various challenges and international conflicts has become highly questionable, we have recently witnessed greater activity among the five permanent member states of the Security Council. This book compares the soft law agreements supported by these states and their approaches to resolving notable international conflicts.
Yet, it remains unclear who has the authority—and by what means—to legally challenge these informal agreements apart from the dominant UNSC member in the given case. Moreover, this tends to exclude the long-standing and well-developed system of international courts and arbitration institutions, particularly when the permanent member state in question opposes their jurisdiction or intervention.