The election of five new non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council sent starkly different messages to two neighboring Muslim nations in the Middle East. Turkey, which last held a UNSC seat in 1961 and lobbied hard in the months leading up to the election, secured 151 votes from the 192-member U.N. General Assembly, easily defeating its competition. Iran, meanwhile, saw its hopes of holding a seat for the first time since 1956 crushed, garnering just 32 votes in its bid for the Asian seat against Japan, the U.N.'s second largest donor. The results come as no surprise. While Turkey has been actively engaged in settling regional disputes, Iran has fought U.N. sanctions over its disputed nuclear program. Its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has antagonized Israel, and is known for his repeated controversial remarks about zionism, America and the Security Council's overall effectiveness.
Turkey’s Diplomacy Wins UNSC Seat
