Resolutions without rescue: Palestine and the limits of international power

Kimball, Michelle (2026) Resolutions without rescue: Palestine and the limits of international power. In: Rules-Based Order Under Threat. Can the United Nations Regain it Legitimacy? International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp. 139-167. ISBN 978-967-18548-8-4

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Abstract

This chapter examines the structural limitations of the United Nations as an institution created to uphold international law while remaining constrained by the geopolitical interests of its most powerful member states. Using Palestine as its central case, and drawing comparisons with Rwanda, Bosnia, Syria, and other crises, it argues that repeated failures of enforcement are not merely episodic but embedded within the architecture of the UN system, particularly the veto power of the Security Council’s permanent members. The chapter further considers the roles and limitations of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Responsibility to Protect, alongside the growing entanglement of warfare with global financial, technological, military, and commercial networks. Drawing on Francesca Albanese’s analysis of an “economy of genocide,” it explores how economic interests may further complicate accountability and enforcement. Yet the chapter does not dismiss the United Nations as irrelevant. It argues that the organisation remains indispensable in defining international legality, preserving the documentary record, delivering humanitarian assistance, and sustaining norms of human dignity. Ultimately, the chapter identifies a fundamental paradox: the United Nations remains essential to international order while structurally constrained from fully realising the principles upon which it was founded.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Uncontrolled Keywords:	United Nations; Palestine; Security Council; international law; veto power; international enforcement; genocide prevention; political economy of conflict; human rights.
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JX International law
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Political Science
Depositing User:	Ms Michelle Kimball
Date Deposited:	28 Sep 2026 09:34
Last Update:	28 Sep 2026 09:34
Queue Number:	2026-09-Q5288
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/131525
Indexed In:	UNSPECIFIED

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