U4 AOS1 Flashcards
Define realism
Realism involves states (and other global actors) prioritising their specific interests and needs over those of the global community.
Define cosmopolitanism
Refers to the ideology that humanity is one single community, regardless of state, culture or levels of economic development. All humans are equal and should be treated equally and global actors should act with this motivation.
Define justice
Refers to the concept of moral correctness based on ethics, law, fairness and equity that, importantly, also seeks punishment when ethics are breached. This extends to global politics through international systems of justice, such as the ICC and ICJ, which seek to uphold international law and deter future violations.
Define ethics
Ethics seek to address questions of morality and extends to global politics, as global actors have underlying ethics to their actions, such as realism or cosmopolitanism.
Define international law
Traditionally only relating to states, international law is a body of rules established by custom or legal arrangements that are accepted as binding upon the international community. Customary international law applies to all global actors. Written legal arrangements, such as treaties, are only binding to those who consent to it through explicit ratification. Some international laws may apply to states, such as the UN Convention against Torture, while others may apply directly to citizens, such as war crimes.
Effectiveness of SDGs
A/t SDGs were successful in setting a cohesive global agenda which inc transparency + accountability, failed to acc progress towards noble aims b/c lack of commitment for HICs → devt in uneven
pos:
- IMF + PMI adopt SDGs
→ PMI = framework for CC/labour policies
→ IMF = inc access to 0% interest concessional loans + encourage spending in 5 key areas of SDGs
- ODA record hugh 2021 $177.66bn
neg:
- only data on 36/169 tragets → 3 on track/13 too slow/11 no progress/9 regress
- SSAfr only on track for 1 target + prog in 9
- COVID → ODA dec 18% b/c diverted to NIs → 2020 119mil extra ppl back in extreme pov
- debt vs GDP in SSAfr inc 23.4% 2011 → 43.7% 2020
- FDI to LDCs only inc 13% 2021 + proportion = dec 3.5% 2020 → 2.5% 2021
- 2021 ODA avg = 0.33% GNI <1/2
Explain the difference between realism and cosmopolitanism
Realism and cosmopolitanism’s fundamental difference is who should be prioritised in a state’s foreign policy. Realists argue that a state’s primary obligation is to its own citizens and so they should always prioritise the advancement of their own NIs over all other considerations. Meanwhile, cosmopolitanists believe that because humanity is one single community, states should act in the best interest of the greater good, even if this comes at a cost to their own population.
Explain the difference between justice and ethics.
Both justice and ethics are both underpinned by a sense of moral rightness, which can be influenced by various ideologies such as cosmopolitanism or realism. However, justice is fundamentally different from ethics in that it seeks punishment when standards of moral correctness, which are based on ethics, law, fairness and equity, are breached. Therefore, the difference between justice and ethics is that justice is the enforcement of ethics.
e.g. 1951 CRSR A38 states take other states to ICJ when convention violated
Explain the difference between international law and ethics.
2 differences = scope + reason behaviour is impacted
1) gl actors have ethics that underpin actions, so scope is limited vs IL either applies to whole IC or broad base of signatories
2) ethics impacts behaviour b/c moral motivation vs IL impacts behaviour b/c legal obligation
Explain the difference between international law and justice.
The fundamental difference between international law and justice is their relationship to the concept of ethics. International law, customary and written, seeks to codify ethics by stipulating global actors obligations relating to specific issues. As such, justice is then the response to global actors’ breach of the ethics laid out in international law. Therefore, international law and justice differ in that it is the former’s role to define ethics and the latter’s role to enforce them by seeking punishment.
Outline the aim of the Millennium Declaration.
To est a common framework for dev thru time-bound goals → guide policies of st + other gl actors
Outline the provisions of the Millennium Declaration
- Poverty & hunger
- 1/2 extreme poverty - Education
- 100% primary edu - Gender
- gender equity in edu
- inc fem pol rep
- dec pay + emp gap - Child mortality
- dec 2/3 - Maternal mortality
- dec 75% - HIV/AIDS + malaria
- prevention + treatment - Environment
- improve sanitation
- inc access to clean water - Global partnership
- 0.7% GNI in ODA
Explain how the Millennium Declaration was enforced
Unanimously approved by all UN member st + 22 orgs
→ public pressure
Evaluate the impact of Millennium Declaration on the actions of global actors.
Pos:
2015 UK enshrined 0.7% GNI in law
Neg:
only 5 st meet 0.7% GNI by 2014
→ impact limited to few st → X sufficient to motivate other gl actors
Evaluate the effectiveness of the Millennium Declaration
Pos:
- exceeded goal of 1/2 extreme pov by 2015
- achieved gender equity in all levels of edu
- ODA inc 66% 2000-14
- accelerated dev
→ rate of reduction of child mortality in SSAfr = x5 faster 2003-15 than 1990-95
- secondary impacts
→ ppl living on >$4/day x3 1991-2015
Neg:
- social inequity → inconsistent progress
→ only 56% births assisted in rural areas vs 71% overall
→ only 36% of HIV patients in dev st recieve treatment
→ women earn 24% less than men
- slow progress w w&s
→ 800mil ppl living in slums
→ diarrhoea = leading cause of death for kids <5yo
- 160 mil kids <5yo = insuff. food
Overall assessment:
A/t X meet goals, process of having common framework + setting time-bound goals → effective at accelerating progress
Outline the aims of the 2030 Agenda
End pov + hunger everywhere, combat ineq w/in + bw st, build peaceful + just soc, protect HR, promo gender eq + ensure lasting protection of environ + nat resources
Outline the key provisions of the 2030 Agenda
- No poverty
- end pov in all its forms everywhere - End hunger
- eradicate hunger + ensure food sec everywhere - Clean water + san
- ensure safe + affordable drinking water
- end open defecation - Decent work and econ growth
- Industry, innovation and infra
- Climate actions
- Peace, justice and strong institutions
- Partnerships for the goals
- 17.2 → 0.7% GNI in ODA, 0.15-0.2% GNI to LDCs
Evaluate the impact of the 2030 Agenda on the actions of global actors
A/t 2030 Agenda prov framework/goals for st’s intl dev policy to focus on, st still prioritise own NIs over achieving SDGs.
Pos:
UK pre 2021
- 2015-2020 0.7% GNI in ODA bc enshrined in law 2015
- 2010-19 above 0.15% threshold (above 0.2% every yr except 2012)
- influenced policy = UK DFID:
→ 2015-19 support 51.8mil ppl’s acces to clean W&S + help 14.3mil ppl gain decent edu
Neg:
- 2021 UK aid 2/3 bilat + 90% contracts for aid proj go to Brit cos
- 2021 UK reduce ODA to 0.5% GNI
- 2022 only 5 st meet 0.7% GNI
- Ch only give 0.04% GDP in aid → 60% loans → 20% Afr st foreign debt is from Ch → inc burden
- 2019 Aid Data Report → Ch aid disprop given to pol leader’s birth region = already $$$ → exasperate wealth disp
Explain how the 2030 Agenda is enforced
Voluntary National Reviews
St update abt progress + challenges
→ transparency + support
Evaluate the effectiveness of the 2030 Agenda
A/t sig progress w 2030 Agenda, objective of inc ambition to further acc progress = fail bc inc planning + spending X translate to dev outcomes yet
Pos:
- climate finance inc 10% from 2015-16 to 2017-18
- net ODA record high 2020 at $161bn
- 156 st dev National Urban Policies
- 2018 $2.2tr in R&D
Neg:
- 2020 2.72bn ppl exp food insec
- Nth Am x15 no of nurses/midwives vs SSAfr
- 2bn ppl lack clean drinking water
- 3/4 ppl w/out electricity = in SSAfr
- only 1/2 Nat Urban Policies implemented
- bribery x5 more likely in LICs than HICs
- 2020 avg ODA 0.32% GNI = <1/2 of what is needed
Why?
- bilat + tied aid = less efficient e.g. Ch (Afr’s #1 bilat creditor) give 80% aid as loans → dec efficiency 30%
- pol unwilling to give more ODA esp COVID
UK response to issue of development
enshrine 0.7% GNI in law 2015
prov >0.2% GNI in ODA to LDCs every yr 2013-19
DFID help vax 56mil kids 2015-17 → save 990K lives
DFID support 52mil ppl access clean W&S
BUT #1 recip = Pakistan (18% budget = mil → ineff use of ODA)
China’s response to issue of development
pos:
- co-ord set of proj (X one-off)
- Ch aid → more econ growth than W proj
- Pres Senegal says he can get contract from Ch in 3 mo vs WB 5 yrs
- pre COVID WB est BRI → boost econ 3.4% in participating st
- Heidelburg Uni est BRI → 7.6mil ppl out of extreme pov
- Maastricht Uni find regions in Afr recieving Ch aid → wealthier pop, longer edu, more edu qualifications
neg:
- only 0.04% GDP given in aid
- 80% aid = loans
- 60% loans = high interest, short maturities + commodity revenues as collateral
- 2019 Aid Data Report → correlation bw Ch aid + birthplace of pol AND bw Ch aid + surplus steel
- #1 bilat creditor in Afr
Outline the aim of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Est common framework to ensure fair + humane treatment of ref + appropriate responses by states to future ref crises
Outline the key provisions of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
- Defines refugee as ‘any person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion’ → limits to only 5 reasons (X incl climate change/pov/war) + unclear abt rights/responsibilities in regards to AS
- ref entitled to free primary edu
- ref entitled to social assistance
- prov ref w legal assistance + representation
- ref cannot be punished for seeking asylum unless X come dir from st they’re fleeing
31.2. allows detention of AS when waiting for claim to be processed - non-refoulement
- sig st must co-op w UNHCR
- sig st must report on new legislation to ensure adherence w Conv
- sig st can bring other st to ICJ for breach of Conv – X incl ind or orgs e.g. UN or Amnesty
