The Box of the Century

UN Battle of de Gaulle 1944-1945 (9x1)

Air date: Sep 16, 2018

Since its foundation in May 1945, France has held a permanent representative seat on the United Nations Security Council. It shares this privilege with the four other members of the Council (the United States, Great Britain, Russia and China). This privilege is further underlined by the right to veto resolutions proposed and voted on by the Council. In this capacity, France is therefore one of the Big Five, responsible for world order and diplomacy. This seat is undoubtedly one of the major attributes of its power, the jewel in the crown which it is important to preserve against all odds, especially at a time when this power is being challenged by those who consider it to be in decline and now unworthy of such a privilege. However, it is often overlooked that, originally, France was not at all approached to be a member of this very distinguished Areopagus.