Unit 3 AOS 1: Global Actors Definitions Flashcards
(40 cards)
What is diplomacy?
The process through which states conduct their foreign policy and engage with one another
What is multilateralism?
the idea that multiple states can cooperate and work together.
- System of coordinating relations between 3 or more states, usually in pursuit of a common objective
What is a nation?
A community of people who identify with one another based on ethnic, linguistic, religious, cultural, or other commonalities, but who do not have sovereign authority over any territory
- A group of people that share common bonds based on culture, language, religion, or history, but who do not have recognised sovereignty over the territory in which they reside.
e.g Kurdish people
what is power?
refers to the means, strength or capacity of a global actor to influence the behaviour of other global actors.
- The ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor
e.g hard, soft, economic, military, cultural, diplomatic
What is sovereignty?
the concept which establishes the state as the legitimate authority within boundaries
- The legitimate and widely recognised ability to exercise effective control over an area with defined borders
What is a state?
Traditional the central actor in global politics, they possess a permanent population, defined territory, and recognised sovereignty.
-A group with widely recognized sovereignty over a permanent population within defined territorial boundaries.
e.g Australia
What is a Nation-State?
Political-social grouping in which people who have recognised sovereignty over an area within defined territorial bounds also share common bonds based on language, culture and history
e.g Japan
What is Global Governance?
Refers to the institutions, rules, norms and legal arrangements the seek to facilitate cooperation and manage relations between states.
- The Instituations, rules, norms and legal arrangments that seek to facilitate cooperation, and manage relations, between states.
What is globalisation?
The acceleration and intensification of exchanges of goods, services, labour and capital which promotes global interdependence, facilitated by rapid changes in communications and technology
What is Intergovernmental Organisations?
A group of sovereign states who came together, under the guidance of a charter or other agreements, in order to work collectively on specific issues
What is a International Law?
Legal agreements based primarily on the consent of states and drawn from treaties between states and customary state practise.
What is a non-state actor?
A non-state actor is a global actor that is not a state but still influences global politics. Often this refers to global actors that are not direct part of global governance and international law, such as NGOs, global terrorist movement and/or organised religions.
What is a Transnational Corporation (TNC)?
Refers to a company the operations and investments of which extend beyond the boundaries of the state in which it is registered.
What is the United Nations (UN)?
is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and serve as a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations
What are the aims of the UN?
- To keep peace throughout the world
- To develop friendly relations among nations
- To foster international cooperation in solving
economic, social, cultural and humanitarian
problems - To promote human rights and fundamental freedom
for the people of the world
What is the role of the UN?
- The UN discusses and debates international crisis
- The UN deploys peacekeepers around the world
- To create and enforce international law
- To solve international crises
What are the criticism of the UN?
- Large and bureaucratic
Only as powerful as member states allow it to be
Funding : voluntary contributions by states. Call for budget reforms. Implications of both??
UNSC needs reform - in order to take practical action military resources have to be voluntarily contributed
VETO power of 5 permanent UNSC states can render it powerless
UNSC not reflective of a modern world in terms of military supremacy or economic power
Need for greater ties between UNSC and General Assembly
Non-binding resolutions of GA - little action occurs as a result
ICJ - states can decide to accept jurisdiction or not - don’t have to partake and can withdraw at any time
Sovereignty remains the ultimate focus for state
What are the 6 main organs of the UN
- The General Assembly,
- the Security Council,
- the Economic and Social Council,
- the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat.
- the International Court of Justice,
What is the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution
What is the aim of the IMF?
- To promote international monetary cooperation
- To facilitate the expansion and growth if trade
- To make the resources of the Fund temporarily
available - To promote exchange stability
What is the role of the IMF?
- To provide loans
- To monitor economic policies
- To offer technical assistance
What is the power of the IMF?
- Important decisions require a special majority - 85%
of votes - USA holds 17% of voting rights which means they
can VETO at the IMF and is the only single state able
to do so - 20 have voting rights of more than 1%
What is the main functions of the IMF?
- Surveillance
- Technical Assistance
- Lending
What are the criticisms of the IMF?
- Conditions placed on loans are too intrusive and
compromise economic and political sovereignty of
states - Policies are passed down to states without any
consideration to the fact that states have distinctive
characteristics “blanket approach” - for some states,
these conditions are difficult to carry out or are
counter-productive resulting in more problems like
food shortages. It should not be “one size fits all
approach” - Lack of sequencing of policies, imposed all at once
eg. privatisation of utilities happens quickly without
proper planning - often leads to unemployment -
vicious cycle - Lack of public scrutiny, lack of connection to real
ground day to day in affected countries
