Final Flashcards
collective good
a resource that cannot be divided and is used by all. Either everyone gets the benefit or no one does
Ex: ozone layer, county parks, social security etc
collective action problem
Collective action problem brings up the issue that individuals have to free-ride, gain the benefit without going anything to earn it.
What is the Tragedy of the commons and what does it highlight?
The tragedy of the commons is the scenario where there is a common (collective good) of grass and farms have an individual incentive to over use the grass for their own benefit leading to the depletion of the grass.
–> scenario highlights how short term interest will hurt the collective good
–> better to work together
Sustainability
help us think about the ways to keep doing things without damaging the environment
negative externalities
Negative externalities are costly unintentional consequences
—> Its when I do something that could be good for me but does harm to another without me intending to do that
Soft law
Soft law is a non-binding set of behaviors (norms) that take into consideration the planet which can become customary law
What are some of the core principals which guide states into how do deal with the environment
- no significant harm: states CANNOT make policies that could cause environmental harm to other states
- good neighbor principal: cooperation should be the norm not the exception thus you should cooperate and avoid doing harm to your neighbor
- polluter pays principal: if you cause it you pay it
- precautionary principal: listen to science to avoid harm over your jurisdiction
- preventative action principal: I and other should take steps to prevent environmental harm
- sustainable development : states especially states following sustainable principals
What other efforts have become in place to protect the environment
IGOs: takes a look at the environmental issues and creates a space to negotiate
Treaties: set a standard in which they monitor to enforce
NGOs: use social media and other methods to keep states accountable
epistemic community
A group of experts in a given field with a shared set of beliefs who can influence the way we feel about certain concepts
ex: scientist informing the public on findings they obtained from the science community
- they are also a type of NGO
What is the ozone layer problem?
In the 1970s the ozone layer ( collective good) was being depleted which was an issue because it protected is from the sun thus leading to states working together forming the Montreal Protocol where states agreed to decrease their use of things like CFC’s.
–> an example of a success story where countries have come together for the environment
What are the three important parts/ legs of dealing with climate change
The three legs of climate change are
1. Mitigation: policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sinks ( natural element that takes kin more carbon than it emits like trees)
–> ex: Kyoto Protocol
- Adaptation: change resources and project to be prepared to deal with effects of climate change
ex: building flood defense or developing drought resistant crops - Loss and Damage: dealing with the negative effects of climate change
–> brings up questions on who is responsible and who should pay
ex: .lead to suing of puerto rico and exxon
What is the UNFCCC
The United Nation Framework Convention on climate change is…
- framework that is committed to doing something about climate change in the future
- established the conference of parties which meet every year to negociate on climate change
ex: meeting led to kyoto protocol
What is the kyotoprotocol?
The 1997 Kyotoprotocol is…
- form of mitigation
- treaty where between European states and Japan which they agreed to cut their greenhouse emissions via an allowance
- Did not apply to developing states
Instilled three market mechanism to meet GOAL:
1. Emission trading: each state has an allowance of how much they can emit but if they are bellow their set amount they can sell their amount to another country that needs it
- Clean development mechanism: is where developed states can create projects in developing countries to get credits for decreasing their emission
–> allows states to participate without implementing rules in their markets - Joint implementation: I as a developed country can create a green project but in a developed country using credit to own emission reduction
–> Makes it cheaper for states; cost effective ways to meet requirement
What is the Paris Climate Change
The Paris Climate Change replaces the Kyoto Protocol in 2015
- its goal was to keep rising temperatures under 2 degrees C
- it used a bottom up approach where states got to select their own goals without it being binding
- states agreed to publish their own climate plans each year
- agreed that developed states would take the lead via a green climate fund giving $ to help developing countries
NOT LEGALLY BINDING SO YOU only risk your reputation
–> US left with Trump entered in Biden and has now left again
What are the three perspectives views on Environment
Three perspective:
- Realist: see the environment as a national security issue
–> scare resource competition can cause conflict and shift in dispersing resources can cause a shift in power possibly leading to war
- Liberalist: see the environment as transnational eventually leading to cooperation
–> have faith in NGOs and IGOs to deal with conflict - Constructivist: focus on discourse
–> shift in perspective will effect how environment issues will be approached
What is human security
Human security is a broad concept of security including the protection of individuals from systemic violence and much more
what is migration?
Migration is a person who moves away from their usual place of residence whether within a country or across international boarders
that included whether:
- temporarily or permanently
immigration: someone coming from somewhere else
emigration: leaving from ones country
What are the types of migration?
The types of migration include:
1. Refugee: a person with a well founded fear of being persecuted due to their race, religion, nationality, member of a particular social group, or political opinion causing them to leave the country
- Asylum seeker: A more general term for those who have applied for protection in another country
–> asylum seekers include refugees before being legally recognized as that and those who do not get labeled as a refugee - Internally displaced person (IDP): A person who has been uprooted from their home but still remains in that country
- Economic migration: people fleeing poverty, unemployment, or other poor economic reasons
- climate migration: people fleeing their home due to the effects of climate change
–> this typically is slow to happen but typically occurs because the land is unable to sustain the population
What did the convention Relating to the status of Refugees do?
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
- 1951
- required evidence for individual persecution
- gave the refugees the right to non-refoulement
What is the right to non-refoulement and who does it apply to?
The right to non-refoulement is applied to refugees in which it states that a refugee cannot be sent back to their country of origin
–> THIS is the only type of migration that this right applies to thus it only applies to refugees.
Who is responsible for protecting refugees?
UNHCR- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is the one responsible for protection refugees until they are granted asylum or returned to their home
Where do the majority of Refugees come from ?
2/3rds of all refugees come from five countries ( all developing countries) = Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar
What is the protection gap?
The protection gap is this time when you are in limbo, in the deciding stage if you will gain asylum of not; you can’t be sent back home but you have no protection
What is the situation of Rohingya in Myanmar
Rohingya in Myanmar :
The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar
- they have been persecuted since the 1970s
- in 2017 there was a huge spark of genocide
- many of the Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh
what are the three perspective on their view of migration
Perspective’s view on migration
1. Realism: see states as having sovereignty to decide who enters and who doesn’t enter their states. Their main priority is security so that is why they see things the way they do
- Liberalism: see migration as a need for cooperation
- they see it as the bottom- up in which group within a state can influence a states preference and policies - Constructivism= they focus on the roles of identities and the understanding of issues within migration
- the creation of an identity leads to this idea of “us” and “them”
What is the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO)
- was created in 1948 by the HOC conference
- its goal is to fight to contain or eliminate communicable diseases through programs
–> They were successful in defeating smallpox!!!
its provisions:
1. International Health Regulations (HIR) which requires since 2007 after the HIV/ AIDs outbreak for states to report outbreaks within 24/hrs
2. Provides tech assistance for developing countries to support health infrastructure
3. helps with NCDs ( Non-communicable diseases) which are diseases that are not directly transfered ( ex: diabetes and cancer) but have a high death mortality.
What is the successful case that the WHO has dealt with?
Small pox - it was eliminated
What are some of the first case the WHO dealt with?
1) HIV/AIDS
- HIV/AIDs was originally transmitted via animal to human in central Africa but it would them be transmissible from human to human via bodily fluids.
- the first case was in the Congo (1959)
- this case both economically and socially created problems for starters it targeted working age individuals and it socially tore families apart via deaths.
- it was until 2000 that the UNSC announced HIV/AIDs as a global security threat
- the development of a very expensive antiretroviral therapy (ART) was created but it was later compromised to be more cost accessible due to its controversy
- HIV/AIDs is still an issue but it has been mitigated
What is the second case that the WHO dealt with? What there any success in it?
2) COVID-19
- The first case was reported on December 16 2019
- the first cases appeared in China but it has spread rapidly because China had failed to report the cases as obligated to, exposing the world to such a deadly case
- Despite this Kora, Japan, and Taiwan despite being so close to China, they were able to quickly contain and respond to the disease, due to their experience with the SARS case
- The success of this case is that vaccine and the implementation of COVAX which was an international effort to help developing countries that may need help getting vaccine were quick to give to people.
What are the three perspective view on health
Realist: say that health can be a threat to international security and can lead to irrational issues
Liberalist: say that cooperation is necessary
Constructivism: focus on what the world thinks that health means
What is the functionalist view in general and what do they think abt health?
Functionalis:
- believe that new functional units should be created to solve specific technical problems
- think that people and groups will develop habits of cooperation, which will spill over technical issues to political cooperation
Functionalist view on health: is that they see health as one of the first area for international cooperation
What does Human Rights mean?
Human Rights is the idea that an individual has protection from their own government
What are the three generation of Human Right ?
The three generations of Human Rights are
1. Civil and Political Rights
–> view human rights as a negative term because these are things the government MUST NOT DO
–> more of western view
ARGUMENT: exploits working class
- Economic, social, and cultural rights
–> see human rights as a more positive terms and are things gov must do
–> claims to scial equality
–> slow in coming - Solidarity/ Group Rights
–> revolution of rising expectations
–> poses collective rights requiring efforts from social forces
- In the end there are debates whether any of these generation have true human rights
What can states do to prosecutor violations of human rights?
States can…
1) Utilize their legal system
–> can be used on an individual for violating human rights, BUT its much easier if its done within one country
–> still universal jurisdiction can help with that
2) Positive and Negative incentives: Are incentives that ties in economical and security issues to improve a states Human Rights
ex: taking away or providing AID
tieing trade
What does genocide mean?
Genocide is the acts committed with an intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethical, racial, or religious group
What the issue with the term genocide?
The problems with the term genocide is is that…
- its ambiguous
- you MUST have the intention to kill and the killing cannot be a random attack
- the target of violence must be from a national, ethnic, or religious group
- there is no specificity on how many people must be killed, the evidence, or how to prevent it.
–> what’s more is that states have failed to act in events due to their lack of use of the word “genocide” since once that word is used it would require international response
What is the International Criminal Court ( ICC)
The international criminal court
- was created in 1998 Rome Statute ( treaty)
- The ICC established both compulsory jurisdiction ( has the authority to hear a states even if a state does not consent) and over individual states
- The court covers
* crimes of genocide
* crimes against humanity
* war crimes
* crimes of aggression
–> the courts can try even military leaders and states leaders but it is a last resort
What is the US relationship with the International criminal court ( ICC)
The US was never a party to the Rome Statute thus it was never part of the ICC
What are the three ways the ICC can get jurisdiction over an individual case?
The three way that the ICC can get jurisdiction over an individual case is …
1) If a crime was committed in territory, national of a state that is party to the Rome Statute
ex: Palestine
2) If a country directly accepts the ICC jurisdiction by its national or territory ( even if the state is not a party to the Rome Statute
ex: Ukraine
3) If the case is referred to the ICC by the UN security council
ex: Sudan
What is the ICCs relationship with Israel, Palestine, and Russia ?
- Both Israel and Russia are not members of the ICC
- Palestine is a member of the ICC but Israel is not this the crimes done in the territory of Palestine requires a warrant against Palestine AND Israel.
- Ukraine is not a member of the ICC but they accepted jurisdiction with the events of Ukraine and Russia leading to a warrent for crimes committed in the territory of Ukraine
What are the criticisms about the ICC
The criticism of the ICC are that…
- there is a trade off between peace and justice
- there is skepticism about neutrality
–> also several states have threatened to withdraw from the Rome Statute
What is the ICJ International Court of Justice
The ICJ International Court of Justice
- has two roles
1) deals with contentious (difficult ) cases between states
2) gives advisory opinion when requested by the UNSC and the UNGA
What is the difference between the ICC and the ICJ ?
The difference between the ICC and the ICJ is that the ICC only deals with criminal trials and needs to be ratified unlike the ICJ
- The ICJ is automatically in if you agree to the UN also its contentious cases are LEGALLY BINDING
–> The ICJ can give advice while the ICC cannot.
What are the basics of the UNGA ?
The UN General Assembly:
- has 193 members
- deals with issues within the scope of the UN charter
- all states have a vote and there are no Vetoes
deals with broad issues basically anything that the UN could possibly talk about
- its resolutions are NOT legally binding =, they are just statements to consider that the community speaks on
What are the basics of the UNSC?
The UN Security Council:
- has 15 members
–> 5 members are permanent with veto power ( China, Russia, US, UK, and France) and there are other 10 members who depend on region
- deals with issues relating to international security and peace
- most of its resolutions require 9 votes and 0 vetoes
- its the ONLY UN body who can legally authorize the use of force
universal jurisdiction
Universal jurisdiction happens when a state claims jurisdiction over an individual in another state if that individual commits such heinous crimes to violate the laws of all states
ex: genocide
