Building a Security Council Resolution: When Numbers on Illicit Activities Matter

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an important evolution and an extensive practice of the Security Council (SC) to determine what could be considered as a threat to the peace. Currently, some situations that endanger domestic stability and rule of law are considered as constituting per se a threat to international peace and security whilst others are only taken into account as factors that undermine the stability of the region or the State. Criminal activities have often been included as indicators for the determination of instability or of a lack of rule of law. Such activities have been quantified for years and the question that arises is if the quantified impact of an illicit activity is determining to take it into consideration at a global governance level. In particular, to what extent the SC uses numerical data to consider some specific criminal activities as a factor of instability for international peace and security? The analysis of SC resolutions, in the light of reports submitted to the SC, shows that progressively, measurement has been introduced in global governance. The absence of an established practice makes it difficult to assert conclusions. However, some trends can already be identified.