The Security Council of the United Nations comprises of fifteen members. Ten countries serve on the council for two years at a time, each representing the opinions and interests of a particular region of the globe. The other five of these members are permenant members and are refferred to as the P5.
As permemant members, these five are considered to be the most politically powerful in the Security Council and, perhaps, the world. Inside the council, the P5 possess the power of veto, and are the only five nations in the world permitted to own and maintain nuclear weapons.
The Permenant Five Members[]
Other Countries[]
Any other member of the G8 could be worthy of inclusion in the P5, although in the decades since the Security Council's inception none has successfully been added.
The United Nations, and the Security Council were formed soon after the Second World War. This means that former Axis powers Germany and Japan were never considered for membership, even though nowadays they are almost always considered amongst world leaders in nearly every field.