The superior person understands rightness; the inferior person understands profit.
--Confucius--
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) consists of ten elected members and five permanent members (Russian Federation, China, France, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and the United States). An 'against' vote from a permanent member has the power of successfully vetoing a resolution.
Throughout 31 years the UNSC put under voting the following resolutions, but they were vetoed by the US. Most of the vetoes were due to its only-against vote.
1) Condemns Israel for killing hundreds of people in Syria and Lebanon in air raids (1972) . 1 /206 total vetoed resolutions through a 31-years period (0.43%).
2) Afirms the rights of the Palestinians and calls on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories (1973). 1 /206 (0.4%).
3) Condemns Israel for attacking Lebanese civilians; 4) condemns Israel for building settlements in the occupied territories; 5) calls for self determination for the Palestinians; 6) afirms the rights of the Palestinians (1976). 4 /206 (1.9%).
7) Urges the permanent members (USA, USSR, UK, France, China) to insure UN decisions on the maintenance of international peace and security; 8) criticises the living conditions of the Palestinians; 9) condemns the Israeli human rights record in occupied territories; 10) calls for developed countries to increase the quantity and quality of development assistance to underdeveloped countries (1978). 4 /206 (1.9%).
11) Calls for an end to all military and nuclear collaboration with the apartheid South Africa; 12) strengthens the arms embargo against South Africa; 13) offers assistance to all the oppressed people of South Africa and their liberation movement; 14) concerns negotiations on disarmament and cessation of the nuclear arms race; 15) calls for the return of all inhabitants expelled by Israel; 16) demands that Israel desist from human rights violations; 17) requests a report on the living conditions of Palestinians in occupied Arab countries; 18) offers assistance to the Palestinian people; 19) discusses sovereignty over national resources in occupied Arab territories; 20) calls for protection of developing countries' exports; 21) calls for alternative approaches within the UN system for improving the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms; 22) opposes support for intervention in the internal or external affairs of states; 23) for a UN Conference on Women; 24) to include Palestinian women in the UN Conference on Women; 25) safeguards rights of developing countries in multinational trade negotiations (1979). 11 /206 (5.3%).
26) Requests Israel to return displaced persons; 27) condemns Israeli policy regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian people; 28-30) condemns Israeli human rights practices in occupied territories (3 resolutions); 31) afirms the right of self determination for the Palestinians; 32) offers assistance to the oppressed people of South Africa and their national liberation movement; 33) attempts to establish a New International Economic Order to promote the growth of underdeveloped countries and international economic co-operation; 34) endorses the Program of Action for Second Half of United Nations Decade for Women; 35) declaration of non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states; 36) emphasises that the development of nations and individuals is a human right; 37) calls for the cessation of all nuclear test explosions; 38) calls for the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (1980). 13 /206 (6.3%).
39) Promotes co-operative movements in developing countries; 40) affirms the right of every state to choose its economic and social system in accordance with the will of its people, without outside interference in whatever form it takes; 41) condemns activities of foreign economic interests in colonial territories; 42) calls for the cessation of all test explosions of nuclear weapons; 43) calls for action in support of measures to prevent nuclear war, curb the arms race and promote disarmament; 44) urges negotiations on prohibition of chemical and biological weapons; 45) declares that education, work, health care, proper nourishment, national development, etc are human rights; 46) condemns South Africa for attacks on neighbouring states; 47-53) condemns apartheid and attempts to strengthen sanctions (7 resolutions); 54) condemns an attempted coup by South Africa on the Seychelles; 55-73) condemns Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, human rights policies, and the bombing of Iraq (18 resolutions) (1981). 35 /206 (17%).
74-76) Condemns the Israeli invasion of Lebanon (3 resolutions); 77) condemns the shooting of 11 Muslims at a shrine in Jerusalem by an Israeli soldier; 78) calls on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights occupied in 1967; 79-82) condemns apartheid and calls for the cessation of economic aid to South Africa (4 resolutions); 83) calls for the setting up of a World Charter for the protection of the ecology; 84) sets up a UN conference on succession of states in respect to state property, archives and debts; 85-87) nuclear test bans and negotiations and nuclear free outer space (3 resolutions); 88) supports a new world information and communications order; 89) prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons; 90) development of international law; 91) protects against products harmful to health and the environment; 92) declares that education, work, health care, proper nourishment, national development are human rights; 93) protects against products harmful to health and the environment; 94) development of the energy resources of developing countries; 95-97) condemns the Israeli invasion of Lebanon (3 resolutions) (1982). 24 /206 (11.6%).
98-112) Resolutions about apartheid, nuclear arms, economics, and international law (15 resolutions); 113) condemns support of South Africa in its Namibian and other policies; 114) international action to eliminate apartheid; 115) condemns Israel for occupying and attacking southern Lebanon; 116-134) resolutions about apartheid, nuclear arms, economics, and international law (18 resolutions) (1984). 37 /206 (18%).
135) Condemns Israel for occupying and attacking southern Lebanon, condemns Israel for using excessive force in the occupied territories; 136-138) resolutions about cooperation, human rights, trade and development (3 resolutions); 139) measures to be taken against Nazi, Fascist and neo-Fascist activities (1985). 5 /206 (2.4%).
140) Calls on all governments (including the USA) to observe international law; 141) imposes economic and military sanctions against South Africa; 142) condemns Israel for its actions against Lebanese civilians; 143) calls on Israel to respect Muslim holy places; 144) condemns Israel for sky-jacking a Libyan airliner; 145-152) resolutions about cooperation, security, human rights, trade, media bias, the environment and development (8 resolutions) (1986). 13 /206 (6.2%).
153) Calls on Israel to abide by the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of the Palestinians; 154) calls on Israel to stop deporting Palestinians; 155-156) condemns Israel for its actions in Lebanon (2 resolutions); 157) calls on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon; 158) cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States; 159-160) calls for compliance in the International Court of Justice concerning military and paramilitary activities against Nicaragua and a call to end the trade embargo against Nicaragua (2 resolutions); 161) measures to prevent international terrorism, study the underlying political and economic causes of terrorism, convene a conference to define terrorism and to differentiate it from the struggle of people from national liberation; 162-164) resolutions concerning journalism, international debt and trade (3 resolutions); 165) opposition to the build up of weapons in space; 166) opposition to the development of new weapons of mass destruction; 167-168) opposition to nuclear testing (2 resolutions); 169) proposal to set up South Atlantic 'Zone of Peace' (1987). 16 /206 (7.7%).
170) Condemns Israeli practices against Palestinians in the occupied territories (1988). 1 /206 (0.5%).
171) Condemns USA invasion of Panama; 172-174) condemns Israeli practices against Palestinians in the occupied territories (3 resolutions); 175) condemns USA troops for ransacking the residence of the Nicaraguan ambassador in Panama; 176) condemns USA support for the Contra army in Nicaragua; 177) condemns illegal USA embargo of Nicaragua; 178) opposing the acquisition of territory by force; 179) calling for a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on earlier UN resoltions (1989). 9 /206 (4.3%).
190) To send three UN Security Council observers to the occupied territories (1990). 1 /206 (0.5%).
191-194) Calls on the USA to end its trade embargo on Cuba (4 resolutions) (1992). 4 /206 (1.9%).
195) Afirms that land in East Jerusalem annexed by Israel is occupied territory (1995). 1 /206 (0.5%).
196-197) Calls on Israel to cease building settlements in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories (2 resolutions) (1997). 2 /206 (0.97%).
198-201) Calls on the USA to end its trade embargo on Cuba (4 resolutions) (1999). 4 out 206 (1.9%).
202) To send unarmed monitors to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (2000). 1 /206 (0.5%).
203) To set up the International Criminal Court (2001). 1 /206 (0.5%).
204) To renew Bosnia peacekeeping extension (2002). 1 /206 (0.46%).
205) Calls on Israel to halt threats on Palestinian Authority, President Yasser Arafat; 206) condemns Israel's construction of a security fence (2003). 2 /206 (1%).
We can appreciate the previous topics are chaoticaly distributed throughout the surveyed period. Nevertheless, it is tempting to look for any relationship between the pairs of variables 'vetoes rate' and 'year number'. The first is so heterogenous (albeit some concern seems to exist about the Israel matter) that can surely be discarded, and thus being considered like a dependant variable; in such a way, the year number should be a self-reliant variable. And what better thing that bringing to our memory the magic power of numbers? On the spur of the moment one must unavoidably remember the mistery of both 'leap year' and the 'even one'. By analyzing the above data it has not been found, however, a significant correlation between the highest percent of vetoes and the presence of leap years, although a trend was observed in which a fair rate of vetoes took place in such years. Also, many occurrences seem to feature the even years (not in a very eloquent way, though). Hence, honestly we have to reject the precedent hypothesis.
Wait a second! Mathematics could likely approach the right solution, irrespective of whether the year is leap, even, lunar or tropical. After meditating for a while, the following regression function results, which can in a reliable way predict further trends for US vetoes in relation with a given year:
US VETOES (nr.) = 3,604.1 - 473.77 * log(10) YEAR
Try it and get astonished yourself!
Sources
1. UN: The United Nations, "Security Council documents", www.un.org
2. The Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations, "Summary of Security Council Resolutions on Palestine since 1948", "Security Council Resolutions on Palestine Vetoed by the U.S.", www.palestine-un.org
3. Middle East Information Center, "US Vetos on the UN Security Council related to the Middle East", www.middleeastinfo.org
4. Donald Neff, "The U.S. Cast the First of 29 Security Council Vetoes to Shield Israel", Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, www.washington-report.org
5. Donald Neff, "Lessons to be Learned From the 66 U.N. Resolutions Israel Ignores", Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, www.washington-report.org
6. UN resolutions relating to Israel vetoed by the US