Andrew Bolt: Russia has corrupted the UN

Russia stole its seat on the UN Security Council and now it’s time to take it back.

Wondered why the UN Security Council won’t punish Russia for invading Ukraine, and torturing, raping and murdering its people?

It’s simple and sick.

Russia stole – and I mean stole – one of the five permanent seats on that 15-nation council that comes with veto power.

That means Russia can block any criticism of its invasion, and it’s why the Security Council can never authorise any armed response or sanction.

It’s like giving Hitler a veto over the Nuremberg war crimes trials.

But Russia stole that seat and now it’s time to take it back.

Even today, article 23 of the UN Charter, drawn up just after World War II, is clear which five countries should get those permanent seats: “The Republic of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States.”

But the USSR no longer exists.

It abolished itself in 1991, with the collapse of communism.

Russia under President Vladimir Putin has become virtually a one-man state, where political rivals are murdered and neighbours slaughtered.

Russia then told the UN in a letter in December 1991 that it was taking over the USSR’s seat. No vote was ever held to approve it, and the charter has never been changed to acknowledge Russia’s takeover.

Yes, you could argue that communist China played the same trick, taking over the seat of the Republic of China.

But there’s one huge difference.

Communist China at least represents almost all the same territory as the old Republic.

Russia is nothing like the old USSR.

It is not a “continuing state”, under international law, but a “successor state” – that is, a different country.

The statistics tell that story.

When it collapsed, 14 of the Russian-dominated USSR’s 15 republics – including Ukraine – became independent.

Russia was left with just half the 290 million people who’d lived under the USSR.

The West should have fought Russia’s takeover of the USSR’s seat, but thought Russia would become democratic.

Instead, under President Vladimir Putin it has become virtually a one-man state, where political rivals are murdered and neighbours slaughtered.

But how to kick out Russia now?

Russia would use its veto to stop any Security Council vote, as would its ally China. Removing Russia would it take a resolution in the UN general assembly, with two thirds of countries approving.

With so many nasty regimes, and so many selling out to China, that won’t happen. Which means the UN is fatally corrupted.

Time for a new international alliances – but this time only of democracies. How else to protect ourselves?