UN Seats: Just Another Adjective?

Have you ever wondered what makes a superpower? Why do some states only qualify to be called great powers? And why do some fall completely off the radar and never get a positive adjective in front of their names?

There is no set list of characteristics that a state must adhere to in order to be classified as Super or Great. Academics have been arguing over a set list for a number of years. It mostly seems to depend on people's perceptions of that country and one other factor; whether those countries were blessed with a seat on the UN Security Counsel.

If a seat on the security dictates your standing in the political world, it is not surprising that so many African countries are having bitter arguments over whether they might get the two seats that might be available at some point in the future.

The above statement is riddled with might's and some's, because at this point no one is really sure what is going to happen. It would seem that the UN is dangling the proverbial carrot. It still seemed that although the UN has promised that they will institute reforms, they are not really sure whether these will be on the Security Council.

In the end the question has to be whether any of the five major powers would like any other country to join their ranks, and this seems unlikely, since people in power don't usually feel the need to share it with others.

I personally might not agree with the current members of the counsel, but that does not mean that I think adding more members will make it any better.

Secondly I believe that Africa has not yet earned the right to a seat on the council. Yes, Africa is trying to clean up its act, but do we really need to reward this behavior with such an important seat as this? If we go down the list of countries that have earned seats, it would seem that the greater parts of Latin America is first on the list, followed by other smaller island states of the world, like Japan.

And before any country goes off to garner support for their UN Security Counsel bid, I think they should first ask themselves what they have to offer the world.