The United Nations, established in 1945, was designed to maintain international peace, security, and cooperation. Over time, the need for reform—particularly of the Security Council—has become urgent to reflect contemporary global realities.

However, UN reforms remain stalled largely due to the East-West geopolitical divide, reflecting the unresolved power equilibrium between the USA and Western allies versus Russia and China

East-West Policy Confrontations in UN Reform

Security Council Reform Deadlock

• Western position: Expansion with Germany, Japan, India, Brazil as permanent members, emphasizing democratic credentials and financial contributions
• Eastern bloc stance: Russia-China oppose Western expansion, advocating for African and Asian representation without additional Western allies
• Veto power disputes: US blocks Russian proposals while China vetoes Western-backed resolutions, creating systematic paralysis
• Regional alignments: BRICS nations support multipolar representation versus G7's democracy-based membership criteria
• Procedural battles: Article 108 amendment requirements exploited by opposing blocs to prevent reforms

Institutional Governance Conflicts

• Budget disputes: US withholding contributions over Chinese influence in specialized agencies like WHO and UNIDO
• Leadership contests: 2024 WHO Director-General election reflected East-West divisions with European vs Asian candidates
• Operational mandates: Disagreements over peacekeeping missions in Mali, DRC, with Western emphasis on human rights versus Eastern sovereignty principles
• Agency restructuring: Russia-China bloc opposes Western-dominated Peacebuilding Commission expansion
• Secretariat appointments: Geographic distribution conflicts between Western merit-based versus Eastern quota-based systems

Ideological Confrontations

• Human rights vs sovereignty: US-EU promoting R2P doctrine opposed by Russia-China's non-interference stance
• Climate governance: Green transition financing disputes between developed-developing nation blocs
• Technology governance: US cyber-security proposals versus Chinese digital sovereignty framework
• Development paradigms: Western liberal democracy promotion conflicting with Eastern alternative development models
• International law interpretation: Divergent views on territorial integrity, self-determination, evident in Ukraine, Taiwan, Kashmir contexts

The East-West policy confrontations fundamentally stem from competing visions of global governance—Western multilateralism versus Eastern multipolarity. Resolution requires compromise mechanisms like the Alliance for Multilateralism initiative and regional consultation frameworks to bridge ideological divides.