Is the UN Security Council still relevant?

The podcast episode "Is the UN Security Council Still Relevant?" from the BBC World Service's "The Inquiry," hosted by Charmaine Cozier, explores the relevance and effectiveness of the UN Security Council in the 21st century. The episode features insights from international law professor Devika Hovell, International Crisis Group director Richard Gowan, Chatham House director Dr. Samir Puri, and former UN legal officer Mona Ali Khalil. They discuss the Council's historical origins, its structure, the use of veto power by permanent members, and the growing calls for reform to reflect the changing global landscape, including the potential addition of new permanent members from Africa, India, and Latin America. The experts also address the Council's successes and failures, its paralysis due to great power divisions, and the increasing importance of alternative international forums like BRICS and the G20. The episode concludes by questioning whether the Security Council is becoming an obsolete ornament, respected in name but bypassed in practice.