US responds to Musk’s call for permanent seat in UNSC for India

The United States has expressed support for reforms at the United Nations Security Council that reflect the 21st-century world as the clamor to include India in the powerful body grows. 

Responding to a journalist’s question on Tesla founder Elon Musk’s call to give permanent UNSC seat to India, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, “The President [Joe Bide] has spoken about this before in his remarks to the UN General Assembly, and the Secretary [Antony Blinken] has alluded to this as well. We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world that we live in.”

Patel, however, did not share specific steps taken by the US on the issue. 

“I don’t have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly, we recognize that there is a need for reform, but I will leave it at that for now,” he said. 

Earlier in January, Tesla CEO Musk said it was absurd that India, despite being the most populous country on earth, did not have a permanent membership of the UNSC. 

“At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. Problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up. India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd. Africa collectively should also have a permanent seat imo,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. 

He was replying to a post by another X user who responded to UN chief Antonio Guterres’ call for a permanent seat for Africa.

“How can we accept that Africa still lacks a single Permanent Member in the Security Council? Institutions must reflect today’s world, not that of 80 years ago,” Guterres had said. 

The United Nations Security Council has five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—with veto powers. There are 10 non-permanent members elected on a rotational basis for a two-year term, with elections taking place every year for five members. 

India has been lobbying for a reform at the United Nations, arguing for a permanent seat owing to its status as the most populous country and the fifth largest economy on earth. 

Most recently, external affairs minister S Jaishankar on 2 April said the international momentum was now favoring India’s bid for a permanent seat.

“…these five nations have kept their control, and it is strange that you have to ask them to give us their consent for a change. A few agree, a few others put forward their position with honesty, while others do something from behind,” he said.

“But now, there is a feeling across the world that this should change, and India should get a permanent seat. I see this feeling increasing every year,” he said, adding “we will definitely get it. But nothing big is ever achieved without hard work…we will have to work hard, and this time we will have to work even harder”.