Why condemnation does not give the UN enforcement power

Are repeated condemnations of Israel and Russia pushing the United Nations toward a crisis of confidence?

Collective enforcement depends on member-state forces and Security Council decisions, which are subject to permanent-member vetoes.

The institutional explanation centres on the United Nations' dependence on member states to supply forces and resources. Security Council vetoes are a separate constraint on collective action. The participants use Russia and the United States' relationship with Israel to illustrate the role of permanent members in that process. They then discuss Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan through the concept of strategic depth. That comparison is their interpretation of how exposed geography affects security decisions; it does not establish or endorse a particular response.