A UN Charm Offensive Topped off by Dessert (October 11, 2008)
With the elections for new Security Council members coming up on October 17, 2008, Iceland and Iran are among those campaigning for a seat in the Council. Officially, the General Assembly selects countries on the basis of their interest in peace and security issues as well as their work relating to the environment and poverty. In practice though, a country's status and lobbying play a major role in the elections of Security Council members. (New York Times)
3 Nations Win Security Council Seats (October 17, 2008)
The General Assembly elected Japan, Turkey, Mexico, Uganda and Austria to a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for 2009 to 2010. This New York Times article speculates that Iceland and Iran, both competitors for a seat in the Council, failed to win the elections because of the major credit crisis in Iceland and the alleged Iranian nuclear program. (New York Times)
UN Security Council Elections 2008 (August 29, 2008)
On October 17, 2008 the General Assembly elected Austria, Mexico, Japan, Turkey and Uganda as Security Council members for 2009-2010. Iceland, which has not served on the Council before and does not contribute peacekeepers to the UN, lost the elections to Turkey and Austria, both major peacekeeping contributors that served on the Council before. Iran, subject to UN sanctions, lost its seat to Japan, which is the second largest contributor to UN budget and has served on the Council nine times. (Security Council Report)
