1 The UN and International Ethics Kristoffer Lidén 1 * Peace Research Institute Oslo, Kristoffer@prio.no Working paper/draft chapter for anthology on UN at 70. Uploaded on Academia.edu 15 December 2015. Comments and suggestions most welcome. Introduction What is the ethical character of the UN? Does it primarily promote the interests of major powers, as presumed by realists? Does it promote the interests of all states, as prescribed by internationalists? Or does the UN promote the interests of all individuals across borders, in accordance with cosmopolitanism? The UN grew out of an internationalist idea of collective security that seeks to get beyond the realist logic of a permanent condition of war between states. 2 In doing so, the UN was defined by the internationalist goal of peace among states, but also by goals of human rights and development – goals that carry the hallmarks of cosmopolitanism. After the end of the Cold War, these cosmopolitan goals came to the fore in the UN, influencing the understanding of peace and security. Prominent examples are the doctrine of ‘the responsibility to protect’ (RtoP) and the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC). At face value, the UN could therefore be characterized as an internationalist organisation with cosmopolitan goals, entailing a gradual transition from internationalism towards cosmopolitanism. Meanwhile, the UN fully relies on the support of states. This is reflected in the setup of the Security Council, with the veto right of the permanent five. A focus on the political preconditions of the UN raises the question of whether the ‘cosmopolitan turn’ of the UN in the post-Cold War era reflected a truly cosmopolitan moment or rather the self-interest of predominant Western countries in the global expansion of their norms and institutions. As their hegemony is currently challenged by countries like Russia, China and Brazil, this question is particularly pertinent. 1 * Kristoffer Lidén is a Senior Researcher at PRIO, specialising in the ethics and political philosophy of peacebuilding, humanitarianism and security. He holds a PhD in Philosophy and MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo. 2 See chapters X and XX of this anthology….