Global Politics Essay Plans (TOPIC 3)

International Court of Justice - It’s functions, successes and limitations

What is it’s function —> It is the principal judicial organ of the UN - decides disputes between states (contentious cases = usually to do with boarder disputes, military cation and more recently human rights), it also answers questions submitted by the UN general assembly + UNSC

Successes —> by coming before the court, sates agree to implement the judgements decided by the court, therefore all decisions are final - virtually all rulings of the court have been implemented and on many occasions their advisory opinions have helped to mitigate conflict and diffuse tensions between states

Failures —> The court can only review a case that has been submitted by the states themselves, it cannot instigate an investigation on its own,

Examine the differences which exist between hyper-globalisers and globalisation sceptics

Hyper-globalisers → believe that globalisation is a radical modern concept which has shifted the world towards a system of global governance. Believe that globalisation is conducive of the opening boarders and the free movement of ideas, people and goods.

Globalisation sceptics → believe that globalisation is not a new thing and disagree about the extent to which it has impacted the sovereign state - use the British naval dominance during the 1800s as an example and think that this hows that globalisation does not cause any erosion to the sovereignty of states as it didn’t then.

To what extent does economic globalisation resolve the issue of global poverty?

Economic Globalisation = The way in which states become more interconnected due to the widespread adoption of free trade principles

For —> Term first coined by the Brandt Reports (1980-83) the term ‘North/South Divide’ describes the economic and social divide between the northern and southern hemisphere. Economic globalisation has contributed greatly to closing the gap between the hemispheres by increasing opportunities for manufacturing in the southern hemisphere. Many African countries have taken advantage of this increased opportunity for trade to lift their nations out of poverty. Botswana have taken advantage of their large numbers of Diamond.

Against —> Some argue that while economic globalisation has marginally benefitted the working and middle class, it has been of exponential benefit to those who are already wealthy. As a result, economic globalisation concentrates wealth in the hands of the already wealthy, causing resentment among the lower classes, causing them to value a more isolationist approach to trade. This was exemplified during the 2016 Presidential election, when an overwhelming amount of middle/lower class voters voted for Donald Trump as he advocated for an isolationist trade agenda and promised to restore economic prosperity to those who felt they weren’t included in the ‘American Dream’

For —> Economic globalisation has aided in creating a myriad of employment opportunities in developing countries - Many European corporations such as Renault have moved their manufacturing plants to African nations as the labour is relatively cheap, this in turn increases job opportunities, helping to lift struggling nations out of poverty - subsequently those who were once struggling in developing nations now enjoy regular and stable income, opportunities for promotion and the ability to afford their children better education HELPING TO BREAK THE POVERTY CYCLE

Against —> Some globalisation sceptics argue that nations that adopt the free trade policies associated with economic globalisation before they are developed enough they risk becoming locked into a state of dependency. This is called ‘Neocolonialism’ and is the process by which underdeveloped states become reliant on cheap imports before of developing their own trade market, consequently, they become locked on the periphery of the global trade system by more developed nations.

Examine the key weaknesses of the UN General Assembly and ECOSOC

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To what extent has globalisation encouraged the protection of human rights?

For → As the internet has become more widely accessible, it is easier to spread information about human rights atrocities that are being broadcasted to people on all corners of the globe, meaning they can pressure their governments to take action and condemn human rights violations - by highlighting the UN’s reluctance to act during the Rwandan Genocide, more awareness was brought to the importance of clear laws surrounding human rights.

Against → Globalisation has encouraged the development of states like china, who have committed atrocious human rights violations - exemplified through their treatment of the — muslims - illustrating how globalisation is not conducive to the protection of human rights.

For → International institutions such as the International Criminal Court have fostered a more strict enforcement of human rights laws and produced a body that can hold individuals and states that violate these laws to account.

Against → nation states do not have to adhere to the rulings made by the court and powerful nations frequently ignore their judgment s as there is no way for the court to retaliate - ICC ruled that Russia committed war crimes against Georgia and that their annexation of Crimea was illegal, however, russia ignored these claims.

Evaluate the extent to which nation-states have become less influential in global politics since 2000:

For → the global acceptance of free market liberalism has restricted the economic decisions governments have make, thus, the rise of MNC’s have become a major point of consideration for contemporary governments. - in 2003, Luis da Silva’s government abandoned many of its socialist commitments on order to stop MNC’s such as Apple from withdrawing funds from Brazil.

Against → Nation states can choose whether to cooperate with non-state actors and do not have to adhere to any law enforced my a non-state actor if they feel it does not benefit their nation - 2020 - Brexit is an example of a nation state exercising their sovereignty

For → collective dilemmas such as climate change, global health crises, terrorism and economic depression are all situations that require intergovernmental cooperation to establish solutions - WHO have had significant impact on global health policy around the world since the COVID-19 pandemic which culminated in talks in 2024 to implement policies to prevent future pandemics.

Against → Though nations states enter into relationships with each other through treaties that limit their freedom of action, states are free to withdraw from any of these at any time and cease their participation in the treaty’s clauses. North Korea breaking nuclear non-proliferation treaties and testing nuclear weapons near their neighbouring countries.

Evaluate the view that human rights are effectively protected in the modern world

For → the establishment of international institutions such as the ICC and ECtHR shows a global willingness to protect human rights through legal means - Since its establishment, the ECtHR has received many high profile cases that have resulted in significant advances in human rights law, showing that a precedent is being set to enshrine a global standard of human rights into international law.

Against → state sovereignty undermines the effectiveness of these organisations - if states choose to ignore the decisions of these bodies, they have no powers of enforcement and cannot hold the states to account - in 2021 two separate EHtCR rulings declared that Russia had committed war crimes against Georgia and that their annexation of Crimea was illegal. Another example is the UK’s refusal to comply with the ICC’s ruling that they could hand over the Chagos Islands.

For → the wide availability of the internet and social media has meant that it is easier for human rights violations to be publicised. As a result, people can put pressure on their governments to intervene. UN’s reluctance to intervene in Rwandan Genocide caused global outcry and instilled a need for clear international human rights law.

Against → Developing countries that have committed human rights atrocities have benefitted massively from globalisation and it has given them a more powerful place on the world stage. Shows how the globalised modern word is not conducive of the protection of human rights. > China’s treatment of Wegan Muslims.

Evaluate the view that the US is still a global hegemon

For → The US has huge amounts of structural power in important organs of the global economic governance, such as the IMF, WTO and World Bank → 17% of the IMF vote belongs to the US as they contribute the most - only 85% is needed for a resolution to pass so US interests are usually met.

Against → AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) set up in 2015 in Beijing. Proposed to rival the World Bank as a lender to the developing world → This can be seen as a response to the structural domination the US has in the Bretton Woods Institutions.

For → The US in pre-eminent in terms of soft power influence. It ‘s world renowned television and film industry had massive global reach and is globally revered in fashion and corporate brands. The dominance of the US in influencing world culture has led some political commentators to argue that globalisation is another term for ‘Americanisation’

Against → Global perception of US cultural values has been tarnished by controversies such as the Iraq war and Trump’s recent ‘Remain in Mexico’ policies. Meanwhile, chile has been expanding it’s global culture influence by expending Confusious institues around the world which spread Chinese values.

Examine the differences between the regionalism of the African Union and ASEAN.

ASEAN → Is a security and economic alliance. Their key role is to promote economic growth and has the aim of becoming an economic community reminiscent of the EU. It recently has also got the role of navigating the power struggle between China and the US in their religion

AU → Is a form of political regionalism. Key role is to promote peace and stability within the African states as well as growth and promoting African states by ensuring and maintaining peace.

ASEAN → has had a lot of success at achieving their aims. Their goal was to create an economic community = one step closer to that with the Asian Free Trade agreement (1992).

AU → has had little success at promoting democratic ideas as most of the member states are dictatorships.