International organizations and international security

Question 1

Mingst et al. (2017)

Answer 1

international peace and security > traditionally referred to states’ security and territorial integrity

However, the concept of ‘human security’ begun to take hold > security of different kinds of threats (including poverty, inequalities, human rights, and environmental degradation)

Question 2

Arguments that the UN is successful at maintaining international security

Answer 2

1. Space for important policies and issues to be discuss (Berdal 2003)
2. Legitimisation of state action (Berdal 2003).

Question 3

Arguments that the UN fails in international security

Answer 3

1. No consistent decline in security “failures”
2. The structure of the UN (Vreeland and Dreher, 2014) > + Realist explanation
3. No enforcement power + no punishment for countries that act without resolution
4. Peacekeeping forces lack of effectiveness (Welsh, 2015)

Question 4

The UN and the level of security failures

Answer 4

(United Nations, 2020).

No consistent decline in security “failures”, (I.e wars and conflicts) > since the creation of the UN

In fact by some metrics these failures have increased

Question 5

What were the conflict rising, which were recently documented by the UN represent?

Answer 5

Mainly represents conflicts waged between non-state actors > political militias, criminal, and international terrorist groups

Question 6

What other metrics of security failure have shown a decrease since the foundation of the UN?

Answer 6

In spite of a steeply rising global population > the absolute number of war deaths fell (United Nations, 2020).

Question 7

Vreeland and Dreher (2014)

Answer 7

UN institutions > serve as platforms for:
1) governments to trade money for political support
2) legitimacy on the international stage.

Powerful countries > USA, Japan, Germany > offer financial favours for political support from the elected members of the SC

Use: 1) direct foreign aid 2) IOs > IMF and World Bank.

Question 8

(Dreher et al., 2018)

Answer 8

Substantial evidence for vote-buying behaviour in the UN General Assembly

*in particular by China

Question 9

(Welsh, 2015)

Answer 9

UN two implementation tools to manage global security issues:

1) mediation 2) sanctions

> > Rarely able to achieve desired effect + predicated on assumptions > then tested in situations where atrocity crimes have been or will imminently be committed.

Question 10

Realist perspective on why the UN is ineffective

Answer 10

The UN + IOs > only a function of power competition between states > only as long as powerful states perceive its existence to be beneficial to them in terms of material capacity

> > The UN cannot be effective in managing global security issues, because it has no independent impact on these issues

Question 11

Hurrell (2007)

Answer 11

States need multilateral security institutions to:

1) share the material and political burdens of security management
2) gain authority and legitimacy

Both are not automatically secured through the possession of crude power.

Question 12

Sharma and Welsh (2015)

Answer 12

UN institutions > some meaningful impact on security issues:

1) targeted sanctions
2) the ICC’s role as a standard-setter for domestic judicial reform in member States.

Question 13

Why can the view that the UN is ineffective have elements of reporting bias

Answer 13

Two cases.

1. UN successfully manages - mitigates, perhaps, or halts in its tracks - an emerging security crisis. > nothing happens
2. UN fails to manage a situation, and a security crisis breaks out, even a war. > easy to observe and memorable

Status quo was maintained vs crisis occurred

Question 14

Hultman et al. (2019)

Answer 14

UN peacekeeping > cost-effective in increasing global security.

1. if the UN had invested US$200 billion in peacekeeping between 2001 and 2013 > major armed conflict > reduced by up to two-thirds + 150,000 more lives would been saved relative to no peacekeeping.
2. if the UN shut down peacekeeping from 2001 > 3-4 more countries > in a major conflict compared to now.

Question 15

Fjelde et al. (2019)

Answer 15

UN peacekeeping presence > enhances civilian protection against violence by non-government actors

H > it struggles to protect civilians from government forces.

Question 16

Fortna (2008)

Answer 16

Risk of repeat war drops “by 75%–85% or more when peacekeepers are present

Question 17

Name one example of the direct effect of UN search operations

Answer 17

(Fjelde et. al, 2019)

UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo [February 2005]

Civilians threatened by a militia group > UN chose to conduct a cordon-and-search operation > disarmament of 116 militia soldiers

Question 18

Name one example of the indirect effect of the UN actions, that don’t even require the presence of peacekeepers

Answer 18

Krain (2012): naming and shaming by the UN or transnational advocacy networks > reduce the severity of state-sponsored murder.

> > Burgoon et al. (2015): the peaceful effect of naming and shaming is stronger in the presence of peacekeepers.

Question 19

Name the type of missions the UN takes on

Answer 19

1. Traditional missions: active role in shaping peace agreements and managing buffer zones (i.e UN Interim Force in Lebanon) [requires consent]
2. Observer missons: observing truces, troop withdrawal, or act as a buffer zone [requires consent]
3. Multidimensional missions
   3.1. 2nd gen > economic or institutional reconstruction [requires consent]
   3.2. 3rd gen > enforcement missions > [do not require consent] > draw on the authority of UN Charters

Question 20

2 issues with the UN when it is deciding to intervene or not

Answer 20

1. Selectivity
   - More hesitant to get involved when perpetrator of observed violence is a state actor > Fjelde et al. (2019) > government’s ability to veto PKOs > PKOs more able to impose costs on rebel groups than government
2. Timing
   - Time taken to 1) getting consent 2) acting without consent 3) Coordination problems

Question 21

(Berdal 2003)

Answer 21

The UN can be an actor in facilitating debates and discussions > it is a near universally collectively of legally equal member states bound together by a set of common principles, norms and rules of conduct

However > realist > not equal states

Question 22

Why would super powers engage with the UN?

Answer 22

P5 members > increase their influence and interests.

1. China’s used it’s Council membership signal and restate its interests in Taiwan.
2. Example of 2 countries negotiating with each other: in 1993 Russia obtained a ‘forthcoming’ US position on Georgia and Tajikistan > in exchange for supporting US-sponsored resolution on Haiti.

Question 23

How can the UN can be used by as an instrument for collective legitimisation of state action?

Answer 23

(Berdal 2003).

Using the UN > states can acquire the legitimacy to act on the international stage or against a specific country

i.e Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 > violation of UN Charter principles. > eased the task for the Security Council to authorise military actions > later led by the US and joined by many other countries

Question 24

How can some actions of the US-UK relating to Kuwait’s invasion show the ineffectiveness of the UN

Answer 24

The US-UK, acted in way that did not get the authorisation of the UN Security Council.

1. The withdrawal of UNSCOM + US-UK Operation Desert Storm launched without the explicit Security Council authorisation
2. The US-UK continued to patrol the non-fly zones without SC in 1991 and 1992

Question 25

How can the UN be argued to have failed in stopping powerful nations from taking decisions without approval

Answer 25

1. Invasion of Iraq in 2003 > The US failed to pass a second resolution at the Security Council > invasion went ahead > lack of ability by the UN to force nations to acquire a UN authorisation before acting.
2. Illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 > no authorisation from the UN or Security Council

This also shows how the UN fails to take action against countries that act without a UN resolution

Question 26

Claude (1996)

Answer 26

Two identities of the UN:

1st UN: staff, HQs > run by the secretary-general
2nd UN: member states

Question 27

How can the 2nd UN make the 1st UN ineffective according to Claude (1996)

Answer 27

The ineffectiveness > the rejection of the First UN’s proposals by the Second UN.

I.e > the UN abandoned raising peacekeeping force to protect Rwandan refugees > secretary-general’s appeal to sixty govs for necessary troops and equipment failed.