Global Politics

Collective Goods

No one owns and everyone can use. Everyone’s problem no ones responsibility

• Air

• Ocean

• Antarctica

• Outer Space

Free Rider Problem

When people consume a good without paying it forward, preserving it, or keeping it plenished. 

Tragedy of Commons

Overuse. Where the use of the common space is above the carrying capacity of the space.

Global Commons

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3 solutions for the free rider proble,

• Someone holds dominance

• Reciprocity - treaties

• identity- appeal to culture/religion

3 levels of analysis

• Individual

• domestic

• systematic

world war 1

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Battle of somme

england lost 50k on the first day

treaty of versailles

1919

woodrow wilson helped establish

banned war

World war 2

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Munich Agreement

“if you give me this we have peace” Nazi’s encouraged by that sentiment when hitler wanted part of the Czech Republic

Cold war

All abount containment of communism

Power

• “The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events”

• “The ability to get another actor to do what it would not otherwise have done (or not to do what it would have done)”

Spratly islands

a group of islands that China, the philipines, vietman, and malasia all claim to own

Why the waning of war?

• In recent years, a strong trend toward fewer and smaller wars has become evident

• In the first half of the 20th century, world wars killed tens of millions and left countries in ruins

• In the second half of that century, during the Cold War, proxy wars killed millions, and the world feared that a nuclear war could wipe us all out.

Khant and peace

• 1. States could develop organizations and rules to facilitate cooperation, specifically by forming a world federation resembling today's United Nations. Based on Reciprocity and liberal institutionalism. 

• 2. Peace depends on the internal character of governments; republics, with a legislative branch that can hold a monarch in check, will be more peaceful than autocracies. Based on Reciprocity, identity principle, and the democratic peace theory 

• 3. Trade promotes peace and relies on the presumption that trade increases wealth, cooperation, and global well-being. Conflict is less likely since governments will not want to disrupt any process that adds to the wealth of their state. ‘“I would like to buy the world a coke”

Liberal Institutionalism

The idea that international organizations can help bring peace

International Regime

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collective security

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democratic peace

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Prisoners Dilema

• The danger of runaway hostility is due to tit-for-tat punishments but norms mediate states’ interactions. 

• A paradox decision analysis in which two individuals acting in their self-interests could lead to the worst option.

Security Dilemma

• I got a rock, neighbor gets a gun, so i got a rifle, so neighbor gets a 

Ethnocentrism

Tendency to see one’s own group in favorable terms and out-groups in unfavorable terms. results in dehumanization

Genocide

• The targeted elimination/destruction of a group of people due to their ethnicity, religion, or 

Rwanda

• Two main groups in struggle, Hutu and Tutsi

• Beginning in April 1994, approximately 800,000 men, women, and children were systematically slaughtered over 100 days

• Hotel Rwanda

• This genocide is an example of bad ethnocentrism 

Ethnic Cleanse

• A euphemism for the forced displacement of an ethnic group or groups from a territory, accompanied by massacres and other human rights violations: it has occurred after the break-up of multinational states, notably in the former Yugoslavia.

Why are national conflicts hard to resolve

• They are not about “who gets what” but about “i don't like you”

Terrorism

• Acts designed to create fear

• Terrorists seek to frighten people in order to exert pressure on governments.

• Psychological Warfare

• Indiscriminate

• Could be generational

Causes for terrorism

• Poverty 

• Globalization 

• Real grievances and the failure of the government

• Humiliation/pride

• Lack of democracy and systematic violation of human rights

• Foreign Policy

counterinsurgency

to counter- insurgency. 20 troops for every 1,000 inhabitants

Landmines

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power projection

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Weapons of mass destruction

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Proliferation

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Mutually assure destruction

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coup d’etat

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I dont like mondays

• A young girl who didn’t like school and was suspended earlier shot at the kids going to school from her bedroom window because she didn’t like mondays

• The Boomtown Rats wrote a song based after those words she said to explain.

• Geldof later regretted writing the song because she enjoyed the song

Beslan School Siege

• Chechen rebels took more than 1,000 hostages, mostly children

• Held for three days in the school while running out of food and water.

• 330 people were killed, 186 of them children

• This is the worst school shooting in the world

• Political Terrorism 

Types of terrorism

• Domestic terrorism

• political terrorism

• nationalist terrorism

• Religious terrorism

• state terrorism

• global terrorism

• lone wolf terrorism

• issue specific

Biological weapons

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chemical weapons

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The perfect match

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United nations

• UN founded October 24, 1945

• Organized to help world peace and human dignity

• 6 official languages

• 194 member states

• NYC headquarters

United Nations Charter

• All member states have sovereign equality

• All states must obey the charter

• Settle differences peacefully

• Avoid using force or threats

• UN may not interfere in domestic affairs of any state

• States should try to assist the UN

5 structures of the united nation

• Security Council 

  • 5 permanent members (original nuclear powers)

  • Principal UN organ responsible for world peace

  • The only body where decisions are binding on all the world

• General Assembly

  • Main decision-making body

  • Decisions frame the agenda

  • Presidency

  • Voting

  • Sessions

  • Special sessions

• Economic and Social Council 

  • 54 members selected by UNGA- 3-year term 

  • Criticized because there is no formal power, only the power to recommend

  • Specialized/Autonomous Agencies

    • UN children's fund

    • World health organization

    • Food and Agriculture Organization

    • Etc.

  • Sponsors research

• The world court

  • 15 judges

  • 5 judges every 3 years. 9-year terms

  • No judges may be of the same nationality

  • The court only hears cases concerning states

  • No appeal process

  • Located in Hague

• Secretariat 

  • Like the president of the UN

  • Usually from a non-power country. 5-year terms

  • The general assembly elects them

  • Record keeper

Human RIghts

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Types of human rights

• Civil Rights

• Political RIghts

• Social Rights

1984 universal declaration of human rights

• Core document of human rights

• Lacks force of law

• Provides guidelines

1966 international covenant on economic, social, and cultural rights

Connects to the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (1979 / 1981)

1966 international covenant on civil and political rights

• Free speech

• voting

1989 Convention on the rights of the child

• 250 million children work in developing countries

• No children soldiers (under the age of 18)

  • The United States had not signed the Children soldier treaty

• Right from violence. (child abuse) (80% of children abused die under the age of 4)

• The song Luka 

• Human trafficking 

Amnesty International

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War crimes

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Crimes against humanity

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International committee of the red cross

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