152A #1

Global governance

How governments and states interact with each other. Government organizations, non-government organizations and other political actors or players taking action to try to set rules, reach agreements, or solve issues or problems that affect multiple countries

Global government

One governing body with a means of enforcement

Actors: states

• Sovereign countries with sovereign governments that have the ability to regulate their own affairs, are recognized by other countries, and can influence decisions in global affairs and cooperations 

  • Internationally recognized identities

Actors: IGOs

• Formal organizations that involve multiple governments and states 

  • Formed voluntarily by 3 or more sovereign countries to promote causes, accomplish goals, or reach agreements

Examples of IGOs

European Union

NATO

What are some things IGOs do?

• Environmental agreements 

• Defense agreements 

• Promote cooperation 

Actors: NGOs

• Non-governmental organizations

• Voluntary organizations created by individuals to promote causes or accomplish goals

  • Formally not affiliated with governments or should not take direction or support from governments

  • Influence states and IGOs to change their policies (advocacy)

  • Provide services that governments cant or wont provide (operational)

    • Humanitarian aid 

Example of an NGO

Greenpeace, Red Cross, DWB

Actors: TNCs

• Transnational corporations

• Corporations that operate across borders and multiple countries 

  • Very influential due to the wealth they possess and access and knowledge of multiple countries and their wealth 

Example of TNC

Apple, McD, Coca-Cola

International organizations

Include IGOs and NGOs

Registered IGOs

300

Registered NGOs

Approx 8500

Reasons why global governance is not working

• Lack of enforcement

• Regional resource differences 

• Regional conflicts/global conflict 

• Wealth is not used/distributed well  

• Trade 

  • Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 

There are likely to me more conflicts or unmet needs with global governance than without

True

International law

Set of rules that regulates behavior of actors at the global level 

Types of international law

Treaties and soft law

The difference between treaties and soft law

Treaties are ratified and hold the weight of law in theory, soft law agreements or declarations are not ratified or legally binding

Treaty

formal agreements or contracts between multiple countries, voluntarily signed but bound with the weight of domestic law once ratified 

What can treaties be on?

• Trade treaties 

• Human rights treaties 

• War treaties 

Treaty example

The Geneva Convention

Problem with treaties

Even though they technically hold the weight of law, accountability is hard to enforce

International law lacks an enforcement arm

True

Soft law

Norms or agreements that are not legally binding, but are so important that countries should follow them 

Example of soft law

The Declaration on Human Rights

Realism

• IR is always conflictual and we always need to be prepared for war

  • We cannot trust other people

  • Pursuit of power or security 

    • Primary driver is their own security 

Realism: Anarchy

• Lack of higher authority

• In the International System, there is no authority to regulate the behavior of states 

  • They need to be prepared to defend themselves against other states 

Realism and IOs

• IOs reflect the distribution of power in the world, and are tools of states 

  • They are set up in the interests of powerful states 

    • One they reach that interest, they discard or ignore the IO

In realism power and security are top priority

True

• States only join IOs because they believe that in benefits their own power or security 

  • Not because they necessarily believe in cooperation or reciprocity 

True in Realism

How does Realism treat IOs

Tools of states, not as independent actors

Realism does not believe in reciprocity

True

States join IOs as a means to accomplish what they want and then leave or stop contributing

Realism, True

States will break treaties if it goes against their interests

Realism, true

Weaker states are more likely to follow treaties f they are afraid of security consequences

Realism, True

Liberalism

IRs are not conflictual, cooperation is beneficial to states and other actors in the system 

Liberalism: Other actors

• IGOs 

• NGOs 

• MNCs 

• TNCs

• Terrorist groups 

States alone do not explain global outcomes 

True, liberalism

Security is important, but so are other interests like economic growth and human rights

True, liberalism

Actors in the system will work together to achieve common goals and interests

True, liberalism

Economic liberalism

Emphasis on free markets and free trade

• All countries are rational actors who will act to promote their own interests

  • But power and security are not the only concerns 

    • They have other interests 

True, liberalism

Liberalism accepts anarchy but believes that complex interdependence and cooperation will help with some of conflictual nature 

True

How does interdependence help create peace and security in the IR system?

• Constant interactions forces states to rely on each other (interdependence)

  • They do not have to be “on guard” on not trust other states 

    • If they break the partnership, both parties lose 

How do IOs help liberalism?

• IOs promote cooperation and interdependence which discourages a conflictual relationship 

  • Information and transparency about all states

  • Enforce rules and resolve conflicts

In liberalism, states follow treaties and agreements because

• They believe in the value of the rules themselves

• They believe in reciprocity

  • Even if the commitment is not beneficial now, it could be in the future

Constructivism

• Os are constructed based on current dominant expectations, values, norms 

  • Constructed by the people and states that comprise them 

  • State interests and priorities are constantly going to change based on what is going on in the world 

Constructivism depends on…

• The environment and current circumstances

• Dominant norms

Constructivism and Anarchy

• Anarchy is what states make of it 

  • What is our understanding of this?

  • Do we need to fight or can we work together?

Constructivism and IOs

• They try to convince states of what is important and what is a priority 

  • Promote certain values or ideas for the time period 

    • Non nuclear proliferation 

    • The banning of landmines 

Marxism

IR through an economic and conflictual lens

All IR outcomes are the result of capitalism

True, Marxism

Who are the actors in Marxism?

• Owners of the means of production 

• Workers who sell their labor 

• IR is global economic relations driven by the capitalist nature of the economic system

  • Wealthy developed countries create the rules for weaker, less developed countries 

    • Exploitation, colonialism, imperialism 

      • Less developed countries were intentionally forced to be that way because of colonialism 

True, Marxism

• Countries’s primary motivation is the pursuit of profit 

  • Countries are in varying stages of development

    • They benefit from the system and rules (wealthy) or they don’t (poor)

      • Used to keep countries underdeveloped for exploitation 

True, Marxism

According to which IR theories are:

• IGOs not independent actors

• IGOs tools used by states to accomplish their goals

Realism and Marxism

According to which IR theories are:

• IGOs primarily arenas

• Spaces where actors come together to solve problems etc in regards to International relations 

Liberalism

Which IR theory sees IGOs as both arenas (1) and actors (2)?

Liberalism

According to which IR theories are:

• IGOs primarily actors that Make decisions, or have influences outside of their member states 

Constructivism

Which IR theory sees IGOs as both arenas (2) and actors (1)?

Constructivism: IGOs are responsible for spreading ideas, norms etc

____ are political and geographical entities that represent a population within a defined territory

States

Sovereignty

Sovereign states have the final say over anything that goes on within their territorial jurisdiction

In an IGO…

Governments (which represent states) voluntarily join, contribute financing, and make decisions within the organization. Their purpose, structures, and decision-making procedures are clearly spelled out in a charter or treaty

The general purpose of an IGO is to

solve collective problems

General purpose IGOs

Deal with a variety of issues

General purpose IGO example

United Nations

Specific purpose IGO

Handles some specific issues or areas

Specific purpose IGO example

World Trade Organization (for trade and trade disputes)

NGOs are…

Nonprofit, private organizations that engage in a variety of international activities. They can be oriented toward a single issue or can have a multipurpose agenda.

NGOs can provide…

Goals, norms, information, expert advice 

NGO example

Greenpeace

Multinational corporations 

MNCs are for-profit economic firms that have subsidiaries in two or more countries and engage in transnational production activities involving the movement of goods and services across national boundaries

Apple is an MNC. How to MNCs affect global governnance?

Control of extensive wealth and resources can affect IR decisions on trade etc

Realism/power politics

Acquisition, maintenance and exercise of power by states 

Hard power

A state’s exploitation of the various sources of power to coerce other states into adopting actions in its interest

Hard power example

Troops

Soft power

Using soft power refers to a state’s attempt to persuade other actors to do things it wants based on the legitimacy of its own actions, values, or policies

Soft power example

Wealth

War is the inevitable result of power imbalances between states 

True, Realism

Multinational cooporations

MNCs are for-profit economic firms that have subsidiaries in two or more countries and engage in transnational production activities involving the movement of goods and services across national boundaries

Assumptions of contemporary realism

• The state is the most important actor in IR

• The state is a unitary and rational actor

• IR is essentially conflictual

IGOs have international legal personality

IGOs have the capacity to act under international law/power to act at the international level 

Structural realism

Flaws in the system, structure, or power balance that make the state conflictual 

Realism; Distribution of capabilities/balance of power 

According to structural realists, order and stability are maintained through a balance of power whereby states seek military and other capabilities to deter each other from attacking, as well as pursuing national interests. States may also form alliances; however, those alliances are almost never permanent.

Realism: Shifts in power

• Technological advancements 

• Uneven economic growth

Neorealism

Place greater emphasis on economic issues because they can translate to power and security

Neomercantilism

• Participation in a diversified strong economy is key to maintaining power 

• Neomercantilists focus on durable goods, automotives, and technology 

Hegemonic stability theory

• An international system is established for the same reasons that any political system is created; actors enter social relations and create social structures in order to advance particular sets of political, economic or other interests.

• Because the interests of some of the actors may conflict with those of other actors, the particular interests that are most favored by the social arrangements tend to reflect the relative powers of the actors.

Unipolar hegemonic system

• A single powerful state dominates the lesser states in the system 

  • The hegemon creates, funds, and maintains all the IOs and regimes necessary to further its own interests and benefits 

  • Incentives are provided for the lesser states to join the IO and support the hegemon’s interests and leadership 

  • IOs are seen as an extension of the hegemon’s power and upholding them requires continued hegemony 

Game Theory

• Assumes actors choose the best possible outcome for themselves when “playing”, even if another actor also benefits 

  • They only act in their own interest

Perfect information

Assumes all actors know all outcomes and strategies of other actors

Zero sum

Players interests are all opposed to each other so there is no incentive to cooperate with one another 

PD Scenario 1

Confess to armed robbery and rat out your buddy. Then you walk and your buddy goes up the river for twenty years.

PD Scenario 2

Clam up and let your buddy rat you out for armed robbery. Then you go up the river for twenty years and he walks.

PD Scenario 3

You both confess to armed robbery. Then you both get a deal—just ten years.

PD Scenario 4

You both clam up. Then the armed robbery goes away, but you both get three years for illegal possession of a firearm

Which scenario is the “best” for the PD? Why?

• Recall that the rules of game theory say that each player is seeking absolute gains. That is, each player wants to get the best possible outcome for himself. The other rule is that each player knows all the possible strategies (moves) the other player can make. Not that each player knows what the other player will actually do—but each player can predict the move on the basis of what is rational from the other player’s standpoint. Now consider the logic from Prisoner A’s standpoint—“If I clam up and my buddy rats me out, I get the worst possible outcome—twenty years. If I rat him out and he clams up, then I get the best possible outcome—the walk.” So Prisoner A has an incentive to confess. But what Prisoner A gets depends on what Prisoner B does. Prisoner B is going through the same rational, clam/rat thought process. So Prisoner B has an incentive to confess, too.

• At this stage, each prisoner is inclined to confess, even though the outcome—ten years for armed robbery—is clearly not the best possible for the two of them. In fact, it would be optimal for both if each were to remain silent; that way, each would get just three years. So why would not both prisoners just keep mum? The trouble is that that choice is not rational. If Prisoner A knows that Prisoner B will stay silent, then Prisoner A could “cheat,” or defect: He could confess and get the walk. After all, a walk would be optimal for A, much better than serving three years. But that option isn’t available because Prisoner B is considering this same strategy … and Prisoner A knows that. So the only solution to the Prisoners’ Dilemma is for both suspects to confess, each one anticipating the other’s confession.

In ___ states use IOs as extensions of themselves and to help accomplish their goals 

Realism

In ___ IOs offer the opportunity for great power collusion

Realism

in ____international law is made by states when it is in their interest, and it is broken by states when it is in their interest

Realism