Under det kalla krigets dagar var en stor del av världens uppmärksamhet riktad mot de tvåsupermakterna och den dialog som utväxlades dem emellan. Betydelsen av Förenta Nationernaoch FN:s säkerhetsråd var bl.a. att utgöra en diskussionsarena för dessa parter.Efter kalla krigets slut och ett paradigmskifte från ett bipolärt säkerhetssystem till ett multipolärtmed amerikansk hegemoni, har FN som organisation hamnat i rampljuset under många av dekonflikter som vi har beskådat under perioden efter 1989.Denna uppsats har som ambition att söka svar på hur de permanenta medlemmarna i FörentaNationernas Säkerhetsråd ser på Förenta Nationernas roll 2001 jämfört med under det kalla kriget1980. Svaret på frågeställningen skall erhållas genom en kvalitativ textanalys av tre tal, som depermanenta medlemmarna har hållit för FN:s generalförsamling under perioden 1980 till 2001.
During the days of the cold war, almost nothing was going on in the Security Council when itcame to items about creating a safer environment and long- term solutions to conflicts aroundthe world. The main reason was probably the locked positions between the two super powers;the United States and the Soviet Union, which resulted in the fact that when one of thecontracting parties raised a resolution proposal in the Security Council, the other partynormally raised their veto on the issue and the decision procedure was blocked.After the cold war all of this changed and the locked positions between the two super powersceased to exist, together with the Warsaw alliance, which opened up new possibilities for theorganisation when it came down to firm actions towards the Iraqi leadership when theyintervened in Kuwait in August 1990. All of a sudden the world was acting unitedly against aviolation of the UN Charter and all members of the P5 expressed superlative judgment on theact of the UN and the positive foresight of the role for UNSC when it came to conflictprevention, conducting international law and order and creating a safe and securedenvironment for all nations, big or small.Among other items on the UN agenda at that moment were the economic gap between thesouthern and northern areas of the globe, and of course, a solution to the conflict betweenIsrael and the Palestinians.This essay tries to describe the view of each permanent member of the Security Council in theUnited Nations, when it comes to the organisation’s abilities or suitability in three differentroles, such as the instrumental role, the arena and as an actor in international peace-building.