IGO PLS 530

IGOs

• Created by sovereign states

• Developing countries criticize these for being too responsive to the agendas of rich countries at the expense of the world’s poor

• Examples: WTO, UN, NATO, The World Bank, IMF

• Created in the 1800s to manage problems across borders

Umbrella IGO

United Nations

United Nations

• Planned while WW2 was being fought

• Created in 1945 with 51 countries

• Today has 193 member states

• Does a lot with limited resources and a lack of budget because states fail to pay dues

League of Nations

• Proposed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1920

• Ineffective in preventing WW2

• US never joined

• First permanent international organization

• Failed to act during great depression, WW2, Hitlers Movements, Spanish Civil War

Four main purposes of UN

• Maintain international peace and security

• Develop friendly relations among nations

• Solve international problems and promote respect for human rights

• Center for harmonizing the actions of nations

Six bodies of the UN

• General Assembly

• Security Council

• The Secretariat

• Economic and Social Council

• International Court of Justice

• Trusteeship Council

General Assembly

• Discusses global issues and issue resolutions

• Each country has one vote

• Votes on whether or not to admit states as members

• Elects members of other UN bodies

• Resolutions rely on good faith

• Shaming effect

UNSC (UN Security Council)

• Addresses issues of international peace and security

• Votes to send UN peacekeeping forces to a conflict

• 15 countries as members; 5 permanent members with veto

• 10 members serve two-year terms

• Responsible for PKO (peacekeeping operations)

• Resolutions are legally binding

• Sanctions or military force against an aggressor state

5 permanent members of UNSC

USA, France, China, Russia, UK

The Secretariat

• Made up of international civil servants who serve the United Nations in UN offices

• The Secretary-General is in this department (5-year terms, up to twice)

• Represents the UN neutrally and the international civil servants

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

• Most activities take place here, using 70% of UN resources

• NGOs can apply for consultative status here

• Coordinates activities for specialized agencies within the UN

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• Hears international law disputes of UN member states if states ask for its interpretation

• 15 judges are elected by the General Assembly and the UNSC to serve 9-year terms

• Includes one judge from each permanent member of the UNSC

• Enforcement depends on state compliance (shaming helps)

Critiques of UN

• Wastes resources

• Meddling in internal sovereign affairs

• Not doing enough to promote human rights

• Rich/powerful countries can easily spread their ideologies/norms through IGOs

Functionalism

states create IGOs for a reason, usually beneficial to them

Trusteeship Council

• Does not exist anymore

• Everyone got independence in the 1990s