As a candidate for non-permanent seat in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2012-2013 Slovenia claims it will reinvigorate effective multilateralism. In order to address gross human rights violations efficiently country lacks a clear foreign policy strategy. Political position towards challenges in extended Euro-Atlantic area will have to be developed as the global governance of this geopolitical area is of high importance for Slovenia. The effectiveness of global governance could be gradually increased through the use of European crisis instruments and by fostering regional cooperation. International norms have been evolving from the Principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), serving foremost to address gross human rights violations and thus the principle became a building block of the global governance.

Before taking over a non-permanent seat Slovenia should align its foreign policy priorities to the responsibilities of the UNSC as described in the Art. 24 of the UN Charter. This process should be based on the foreign policy strategy and the fact that it had not been formulated leaves the government in office with the wide margin of discretion. Agreed plan of action would however impose certain limitation to the arbitrary decision making and set certain limits to improvisation.

Clearly the government needs to synchronize the decision making in the national defense and security system with the foreign policy decision making system. Smooth cooperation is to ensure transparency and legitimacy of decisions taken. It is crucial to highlight the subsidiary of military goals to the political goals given relatively high level of questioning the decisions taken by authorities by academic community and press. Otherwise, questions might arise considering legitimacy of decisions within Slovenian and international public.

Slovenian citizens find it hard to distinguish the relationship among the national foreign policy, common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the global governance carried out as a member country of the UNSC. I sincerely doubt that one-way communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to clarify these relations, so I would endorse a greater debate on the forthcoming role of Slovenia in the UNSC.

Values and beliefs upon which Slovenia would operate have to be sufficiently explained in advance: multilateralism, security, prevention of radicalization, and curbing growing inequality. The aim of such presentations is to reinforce the belief that peace can not be taken for granted and that achieving peaceful solutions to conflicts requires excessive efforts even from small members of the international community.