G4, an Effort for Permanent Membership in the UN Security Council: Background and Future Trends

During the past two decades, many states and groups of states have offered proposals for structural reforms in the UN Security Council. Some proposals seek to increase the number of permanent members of the Council. The G4 –Germany, Japan, India and Brazil – seems to stand a better chance in this regard. This paper discusses special opportunities for permanent membership of this group in the Security Council while considering challenges facing it. All four countries enjoy comparative advantages in their own geographical regions which give them the chance to seek a permanent seat in the Security Council. On the other hand, they face two kinds of obstacles: regional and international obstacles. This research aims to answer this question: What are the opportunities and challenges facing member states of this group in their effort to gain permanent seats in the Security Council? First, the necessity of structural reforms in the Security Council is discussed before analyzing the situation of these states and future outlook of the Council’s structure in the light of the existing situation of the international system.