The failure of negotiations in the United Nations Security Council to produce a resolution authorising force against Iraq represents a failure of diplomacy, notably by the US and France. Rehearsing their blunders, however, is unlikely to do much good. Instead, we should re-examine the institutional structure of the Security Council. Doing so reveals that the recent debacle is partly due to a lack of effective mechanisms for accountability.

The Security Council can authorise the use of force under Article 42 of the UN charter but it does not have any forces at its disposal. The charter provisions for UN military staff committee - articles 45-47 - have never been implemented. As a result, the UN can authorise the use of force but it is member states that actually use force and leaders of those states who decide how forces will be employed.