Africa: Security Council – New Faces, Old Tensions As Five Nations Take Their Seats

From deploying peacekeepers to conducting quiet – but at times heated – diplomacy, the UN Security Council sits at the heart of global decision-making on war and peace. As of January, five new countries will have a seat around the iconic horseshoe table.

Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia have begun two-year terms as non-permanent members, replacing Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, whose terms ended last month.

They join…