Under fire, the UN looks to retool

The leading frontrunners for permanent seats are Japan (the UN's second-largest donor), Germany, India, and Brazil. However, China, and to a lesser extent South Korea, opposes Japan's candidacy due to historical tensions. Some 22 million Chinese have reportedly signed an anti-Japan petition, raising the specter of veto by Beijing. Germany, meanwhile, is opposed by Italy, which would be alone among European powers without a seat. India, the world's second-largest country, is opposed by its neighbor and rival, Pakistan. And Argentina and Mexico contend that Portuguese-speaking Brazil should not represent Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Africa and the Islamic world also demand permanency. Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria vie for an African seat, but Arab officials urge the creation a permanent but rotating seat reserved for the Arab world.

• Define terrorism. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," goes the age-old refrain. Much of the rhetoric has been deployed in support of the Palestinians, the Kashmiris, and others, in the name of "liberation movements" or resistance to foreign occupation. But there is less tolerance of certain tactics since 9/11, especially suicide attacks against civilians.

Annan has been at the forefront, stating in this report: "Any action constitutes terrorism if it is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians...."

Little movement on the issue is expected unless a definition is broadened. Algeria's UN ambassador, whose country is currently the lone Arab member of the Security Council, has suggested clarification so "that terrorism and the right to resist foreign occupation should not be confused."

• Raise foreign assistance to 0.7 percent of GDP. First proposed at the UN in 1972 and reiterated at numerous summits since then, the target has yet to be fully implemented. The benchmark is one prong of a poverty-reduction effort known as the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. Only a handful of countries have hit the benchmark.

This is one issue that Washington - seen as generally supportive of other proposed reforms - will probably resist. The US dedicates as much as 0.18 percent of GDP to foreign aid. But defenders say the figure neglects other forms of US assistance, like military aid or funding for international organizations.

"What amount the US contributes ought to be up to the US taxpayer and their representatives, rather than an unelected bureaucrat in the United Nations," says Danielle Pletka of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

• Shelve the UNCHR. The 53-member human rights commission has fallen into disrepute in recent years. Human rights violators like Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, and Zimbabwe are current members of the commission; Libya chaired it two years ago.

Annan has proposed starting over with a smaller Human Rights Council. But critics note the refusal to set criteria for membership. Groups like Human Rights Watch say they'll push members to offer open invitations to UN human rights investigators.

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