Permanent Members as the G8

So why not make the permanent members of the security council the G8:

  1. France;
  2. the United States;
  3. the United Kingdom;
  4. Russia;
  5. Germany;
  6. Japan;
  7. Italy; and
  8. Canada?

These members would all have the right of veto. You could also have sixteen other members of the Council elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. These members would not have the right of veto. This would increase the total number of positions in the Security Council from fifteen to twenty-four.

I can see one major difficulty with that idea immediately. China is not a member of the G8, but it is a permanent member of the Security Council. It will only ever veto any amendment to the UN Charter that removes the permanency of its membership. I do not therefore see any legal way that the G8 could become the next set of permanent members.

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