Global: Political Governance Flashcards
what is the UNGA?
united nations general assembly - 193 nations represented in the General Assembly and each has a seat and equal voice (in theory) whether big or small. Decisions are voted on, based on the concept of one nation one vote. Most votes require 50% but if they are the budget, new membership or peace and security, they need a 2/3rds majority. Outcomes are called ‘resolutions’. These are sometimes also called ‘declarations’. They are drafted by specialist committees who will adapt the wording to get broad support. They then become the official position of the UN once voted on.
Strengths of membership of the UNGA?
membership v widespread - 193 member states
equality between members - no states have special privileges - this leads away from use of military and towards peaceful negotiation
weaknesses of membership of the UNGA?
membership is not proportional to member states’ size or influence. some states eg palestine/taiwan are still not members. smaller states may require pressure to support certain positions - arguably also a flaw in desicion making.
bigger states may dismiss UNGA reolutions due to their non-binding nature, instead favouring the UNSC.
strengths of decision making of the UNGA?
in theory all the member states have equal say in desicions, due to one-vote-per-country.
eg countries in the pacific like tuvalu at risk of being submerged can make its voice heard. states can propose resolutions eg middle eastern countries saying “zionism is racism”
weaknesses of decision making of the UNGA?
countries will often vote in blocs, siding with a great power that they have ties to - eg western european countries siding with the USA, eastern european/african countries siding with china. eg russia put pressure on its allies to vote against resolutions condemning assad in syria. more recently the same has been done with the usa and israel.
strengths of effectiveness of the UNGA?
all members get a say; compromise due to this system. Official UNGA policy becomes clear and it can pressure countries to abide by it.
the universal declaration of human rights was a UNGA resolution and set the precedent for a growing global human rights culture. in the 1960s South Africa was suspended because of apartheid
weaknesses of effectiveness of the UNGA?
more powerful states often try to manipulate weaker ones, usually allies. UNGA resolutions are non-binding, so not enforcable; eg the UDHR is often broken by countries like Russia and the USA, despite it being official UN policy. similarly 100 out of 193 members found the annexation of crimea to be illegal but nothing was done about it. more recently 143 members condemned the annexation of ukraine, yet little direct action taken.
what is ECOSOC?
United Nations Economic and Social Council - 54 members from all regions of the world. Members serve in rotation for (3) year periods. Elected by UNGA. Discussion based decisions – linked to the SDG’s. Outcomes are measure through how well the MDG’s and now SDG’s are being met over a long period – working with a huge range of organisations and NGO’s.
strengths of ECOSOC membership?
rotation of membership means it is highly representative of the UN, and the world as a whole.
weaknesses of ECOSOC membership?
constant rotation means no one is in charge of organisation - can lead to flaws in desicion making and effectiveness more generally. some states who become members in the rotation also have poor track records regarding the SDGs
strengths of ECOSOC decision making?
thorough debate and discussion to reach discussions - this involves several states, NGOs and IGOs. means that decisions are not heavily swayed by a single actor and therefore are likely more sensible and beneficial to the world at large
weaknesses of ECOSOC decision making?
due to the rigorous decision making process, final agreements can take a very long time to reach. damages effectiveness. also lacks power over some subsidiaries like the IMF.
stengths of ECOSOC effectiveness?
huge progress made towards the SDG’s - reductions in poverty particularly in emerging economies like China, Brazil, India etc. boys and girls are now equal in primary education
weaknesses of ECOSOC effectiveness?
never fully achieved the milenium development goals, SDG’s are very ambitious and are unlikely to be fully achieved in the near future.
what is the ICJ?
international court of justice - oversees disputes between countries - these are often over borders and territory. countries can also be scrutinised under international law.
strengths of ICJ membership?
judges are elected by the UNGA - they serve 9 year terms. this ensures the membership of the court is democratic and less susceptible to corruption. Widespread membership - all 193 UN member states are members of the ICJ
weaknesses of ICJ membership?
although all UN members are also ICJ members, only 73 have agreed to be bound by the decisions of the court. this means that if any of the other countries commit human rights violations (eg Russia), they cannot be bound by ICJ decisions.
Strengths of ICJ decision making?
weaknesses of ICJ decision making?
court will take around 6 months to reach a decision - in many cases, this is far too long to prevent a humanitarian crisis
strengths of ICJ effectiveness?
while on the whole decisions made by the ICJ are not legally binding on a country, they will often be politically or morally binding, and failure to comply could result in the governing party being voted out, or economic sanctions from other countries. as a result, decisions are usually complied with - eg 2002 border dispute resolved in 2002 - both countries complied with the decision.
weaknesses of ICJ effectiveness?
jurisdiction of the court is heavily limited - countries can easily ignore rulings if it is their interests too, eg Israel ignoring the ICJ’s recent requests. even if a country has agreed to be bound by the ICJ, they can withdraw from this when it suits; US in 1984 when it was found guilty of trying to illegally overthrow the government of Nicaragua.
strengths of UNSC membership?
non-permanent members serve 2 year terms in regional blocs - africa have 3 seats, south/latin america have 2 - countries in these positions are elected by the UNGA and so more relevant/important countries can be regularly elected. this keeps the UNSC relevant with modern times
weaknesses of UNSC membership?
the P5 has remained unchanged since the creation of the UNSC in 1945; China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
strengths of UNSC decision making?
in many cases where the p5 have consensus on an issue, the UNSC can act quickly and effectively, like in cote d’ivoire, or sierra leone, where child soldiers were being used.
