The First Step: Preliminary Steps: The Role of A Patron Diplomat

Abstract

In the first step of the UNSC decision-making process, the creation of an atrocities investigation requires that a diplomat of a UNSC member state brings the atrocities to the attention of the UNSC. It is commonly accepted that diplomats do so (i) at the instruction of their states, (ii) at the discretion afforded to them by their states, and (iii) rarely, against the instruction of their states. This chapter advances the understanding of the role diplomats play in the UNSC’s decision-making process by examining how atrocities often come to the attention of the UNSC as the outcome of a disagreement between the diplomats at the UNSC and their superiors. It also highlights, through three case studies relating to the civil war in Sierra Leone, how the work of diplomats is far from mechanical and full of political interactions.