11. International Organizations

Anarchy

International system is anarchic.

No overaching power means conflict.

Realism and neorealism

Focus on power. Who has it, how it’s wielded.

Multipolar, Bipolar, and Unipolar World

Westphalia to WWII.

Cold War.

Today.

Neoliberalism

War is internal and involves Non-State Actors (terrorist cells, corporations).

Negative Peace

The mere absence of conflict is peace.

Realist.

Positive peace

Peace requires ongoing peacebuilding and structural development.

Liberal and international IOs focus on positive peace.

Focus on more than just military security.

International Development

Powerful States and IOs have a responsibility for the development and assistance of less powerful ones.

Security Post 9/11

Looks very different than cold war. There’s far more focus on security beyond just military.

Increasingly along racial, ethnic, and religious lines.

Defense budgets are astronomical: America’s defense budget is bigger than the next 10 countries combined.

Proliferation of terorrism and anti-American sentiment.

International Civil Society

Organizations that transcend the State system and are apolitical.

Help to inform and enforce regimes, which are unenforceable.

Usually human rights organizations.

International Organizations

Trade and security organizations between nations/city-states/kingdoms/other communities forever.

Many ad-hoc organizations have grown into full UN agencies or been subsumed by other organizations.

1815: Congress of Vienna

First international discussion on human rights (condemning slavery).

Created one of the earliest known NGOs: Anti-Slavery International.

Berlin Conference establishing African colonialism

Trade unions extract resources and cause damage.

Many orgs today do important work but also spread colonial/religious values.

The United Nations

Built on the failed League of Nations.

Charter was signed on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco.

51 Member States initially; 193 today.

2 Observer States: Palestine and Holy See.

Six Main Organs of the UN: Security Council

Permanent 5: Russia, France, UK, USA, and China. Most powerful countries at the end of WWII.

10 Rotational members: Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates.

Makes final decisions on recommendations from General Assembly.

Allows for collective security; far more liberal than realist.

Six Main Organs of the UN: General Assembly

The rest of the Member States who aren’t on the Security Council.

Largest, but also weakest body.

Makes recommendations to Security Council, who could ignore.

Can pass resolutions but can’t enforce anything.

Symbolically extremely powerful: Resolutions passed were agreed to by a substantial number of States.

Six Main Organs of the UN: ECOSOC

Economic and Social Council: The research body.

Policy recommendations.

Consultation.

Works with foreign aid.

Permanent Indigenous body.

Includes the High Commissioner for Refugees.

Six Main Organs of the UN: Secretariat and ICC/ICJ

Secretariat, international criminal court, and international court of justice.

Secretariat

Day to day operations and is headed by secretary general, Antonio Guterres.

Contains special representatives to the secretary general, envoys, and rapporteurs to support him.

International Criminal Court

Tries crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.

Sometimes dealt with through Special Tribunals, established by Security Council.

International Court of Justice

Resolves disputes between countries, usually related to jurisdiction or secession.

Six Main Organs of the UN: Trusteeship Council

Oversees terrioties governed by the UN and still exists but hasn’t functioned since 1994.

Functions of the UN

Peace work. maintaining human rights, and controversial.

UN privileges legal/political rights over economic/social rights, which many view as privileged and Western centric.

Peace work

Peacebuilding

Conflict prevention

Peace enforcement

Peacemaking

Peacekeeping

INGOs

Thousands of INGOs have consultative status with the UN: not members, no actual power, but work closely with the UN.

Most are related to the betterment of people worldwide, usually framed around human rights.

International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

Oldest modern INGO still in existence today.

Created the Geneva Convention: Rules for treatment of prisoners of war and civilians during war.