The cracks in the rules-based international order have never been more visible. As the world grapples with mounting crises, from armed conflicts to climate catastrophes, the very guardians of global law stand exposed as its most brazen violators. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council wield veto power and claim moral authority. However, they have repeatedly flouted the principles they purport to defend. Against this backdrop of institutional hypocrisy, India emerges as a rightful claimant to UN reform and the UNSC expansion.

India’s case for Security Council reform rests on a simple truth: those who guard the rules-based order are its worst offenders. The Iraq War, the invasion of Ukraine, and territorial aggression in the South China Sea by the US, UK, Russia, and China are flagrant violations of the UN Charter’s most fundamental provision, Article 2(4), which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any state.

Yet, the UN’s institutional architecture, designed in 1945, allows these violators to use their veto power to avoid accountability. Therefore, reform is necessary, and India’s call for it is essential to restore credibility to an order that has been eroded by those who claim to uphold it.

In October last year, addressing a gathering at the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries’ (UNTCC) Chiefs Conclave, which India is hosting for the first time, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh articulated India’s commitment to upholding a rules-based order. He said, “Some nations are openly violating the international rules, some are trying to undermine it, while some want to create their own rules and dominate the next century. India, while advocating for the reformation of outdated international structures, stands strong in upholding the international rules-based order."

“For India, this is not just a talking point. Thousands of Indians serve for the cause of peace under the UN flag. Peacekeeping, for India, has never been an act of choice but an article of faith. From the very dawn of our independence, India has stood firm with the United Nations in its mission to maintain international peace and security. The conclave is a reaffirmation of our collective endeavour to uphold peace, stability and human dignity that grounds the charter of the United Nations.

“Nations realised that for the development, growth and........

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