ABSTRACT
Few institutions are as well known or as little understood as the UN Security Council. It is, in that regard, one of those classic enigmas hiding in plain sight. It has been perpetually shrouded by layers of divergent and even internally contradictory expectations and fantasies. It habitually disappoints, regroups, and then surprises. One day it is heralded, the next disdained or, worse, dismissed. Each action it takes is celebrated by some and despaired by others. It squanders obvious opportunities, only to manufacture something out of nothing the next time around. As it triumphs in one arena, it turns its back on several more.
