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A2 Politics > Unit 3: Global Governance > Flashcards

Unit 3: Global Governance Flashcards

1
Q

IGO’s:

A

Inter-governmental organisation - they are controlled by governments rather than by institutions

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2
Q

Example of an IGO:

A

NAFTA - as it is about groups making agreements between themselves as NAFTA does when considering peacekeeping and trade agreements

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3
Q

Define SGO’s:

A

Supra-governmental - this is where a certain amount of sovereignty and democratic accountability is handed over, it is the organisation as a whole

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4
Q

Example of an SGO:

A

The UN - as it is the organisation as a whole

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5
Q

Define global governance:

A

Means the emergence of forms of international cooperation designed to ensure that there are decisions, rules and mechanisms to facilitate the smooth working of the international community in the absence of a global authority able to impose order.

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6
Q

Positives of global governance:

A

Increased cooperation

Transnational problems require transnational solutions

Increase influence on world stage

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7
Q

Negatives of global governance:

A

One country could dominate and take control

Undermines state sovereignty

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8
Q

Evidence to suggest global governance has grown:

A

Growing globalisation

End of the Cold War

More non-state actors

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9
Q

Liberals view on global governance:

A

View global governance as a positive as increases cooperation, cobweb model and ultimately led to less conflict as powers working together

Also increases prosperity as cooperation can benefit in terms of wealth as well

Highlights how state sovereignty is in decline as shown through the rise of non-state actors

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10
Q

Realist views on global governance:

A

Likely to view global governance as bad due to the fact it has the potential to undermine state sovereignty which they view importantly

Global governance bodies lack power yet argue that states can use global governance for their own benefit

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11
Q

Advantages of IGO’s:

A

As making decisions between themselves likely to resolve issues and keep the peace

Retain sovereignty and encourages more nations to take part and ultimately encourages cooperation

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12
Q

Disadvantages of IGO’s:

A

Hard to achieve compromises as all states have self-interest

Powerful countries may dominate

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13
Q

Advantages of supranationalism:

A

Can resolve issues as a whole as seen by the UN

Can enforce cooperation on the states

Compromises and addresses issues more to get things done

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14
Q

Disadvantages of supranationalism:

A

Loss of sovereignty

Can be hard to enforce

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15
Q

UN - General Assembly characteristics

A

One of the six principle organs of the UN and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation

Powers are to oversee the budget of the UN, appoint the non-permanent members to the security council, receive reports from other parts of the UN and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly resolutions

Voting in the General Assembly on important questions is by two thirds majority of those present and voting

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16
Q

UN - Security Council

A

In charge of the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the UN and approving changes to the UN charter

Powers include to establish peacekeeping operations, establish international sanctions, and the authorisation of military action through security council resolutions

Only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states

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17
Q

UN - Economic and Social Council

A

Responsible for coordinating the economic, social and related work of 15 UN specialised agencies, their functional commissions and five regional commissions

Has 54 members

Serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the UN system

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18
Q

UN - Secretariat

A

The UN’s executive arm

Important role in setting the agenda for the UN’s deliberative and decision making bodies of the UN, and the implementation of the decision of these bodies

Secretary-General, who is appointed by the General Assembly, is the head of the secretariat

Mandate is a wide one

Has 44,000 international civil servants

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19
Q

What is the UN?

A

The UN is an SGO, with elements of IGO, with 193 member states, based on the principle the ‘sovereign equality’ of all members

It’s purpose and structure are laid down in the charter

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20
Q

What does the UN exist to:

A

Maintain international peace and security by providing an international forum through which states can settle conflicts

Build a more peaceful world through solving economic and social problems and promoting and encouraging respect for human rights

Over time the UN has also taken on new concerns, for instance tackling environmental problems

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21
Q

Liberals argue that the UN is an example of the benefits of collaboration and cooperation because of:

A

Collective security and peace

A forum for discussion

An international community

Smaller powers can gain leverage by acting together

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22
Q

What are the UN central institutions:

A

The General Assembly

The Security Council

The Economic and Social Council

The UN Secretariat

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23
Q

What examples could be given to suggest the growth of ‘global governance’?

A

UN - its Security Council resolutions are binding

EU - provides a supranational government structure for most of Europe, backed up by a court (the ECJ)

WTO - arbitrates in trade disputes, like that over US steel tariffs in 2002/3

IMF - rescues countries facing economic crisis

Global courts - for disputes between states and to punish those guilty of gross offences against human rights (ICC)

Leading powers are trying to tackle global problems - through organisations like the G8 or through negotiations leading to treaties

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24
Q

Why is global governance so controversial?

A

Global governance is designed to solve problems affecting more than one state in the absence of a global authority able to impose order

Likely to involve surrenders of sovereignty and states are reluctant to do this

Control exercised by the rich developed countries over global governance - critics argue that bodies like the IMF and World Bank are really pushing an agenda designed to benefit the North at the expense of the South

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25
Q

Intergovernmentalism:

A

Between governments

26
Q

Supranationalism:

A

Above government level

27
Q

What are the advantages of intergovernmentalism:

A

States are able to cooperate to achieve common interests but retain sovereignty and democratic accountability. NAFTA is an example, though there is free trade, member states retain their political systems

28
Q

What are the disadvantages of intergovernmentalism:

A

If states refuse to share sovereignty decision making becomes difficult and the organisation may be ineffective. The IGOs became battlegrounds for national interests and ‘lowest common denominator’ outcomes or deadlock are likely.

For example, the Copenhagen Accord left out any binding emissions targets

29
Q

What are the advantages of Supranationalism:

A

Decision making is easier if member states can’t obstruct

Possible to pursue goals which reflect the common good rather than national interests

Rules can in theory be enforced on member states, achieving fairer and more effective outcomes

30
Q

What are the disadvantages of Supranationalism:

A

Decision making becomes remote from citizens and is undemocratic and may not reflect local circumstances

States are likely to break the rules and in practice there is little that any current supranational bodies can do to stop them, especially if they are powerful

31
Q

How has the UN peacekeeping role changed since the start of the 1990s?

A

Classic UN peacekeeping role was to separate the two sides in a conflict between states and monitor a ceasefire

However, since the 1990s, the UN has increasingly gone beyond traditional peacekeeping to intervene in a number of vicious conflicts within states that broke out after the Cold War

UN has begun to shift its emphasis from traditional peacekeeping to peace-building after conflicts

32
Q

Define ‘Peacekeeping’?

A

Peacekeeping usually involves activities such as monitoring ceasefires and elections

33
Q

In what circumstances can the UN play an effective peacekeeping role?

A

Preconditions:
- Security Council must sanction all operations and the host country must also accept UN involvement

Factors affecting the success of peacekeeping operations:
- UN has no resources of its own and can only be as effective as its members allow it to be

Workable mandate is essential:

  • Must be achievable and not mix peacekeeping and peace enforcing
  • Resources must be adequate for the task

Effective command and control:
- UN lacked trained staff, HQ facilities, intelligence gathering facilities needed to conduct large scale military operations

Warring parties must be ready to stop fighting:
- Only where both sides are ready to end the fighting can the UN separate them and monitor the ceasefire

Potential role of the UN:
- UN could be more ‘effective’ in many crises if a standby force was created, so the UN could intervene before things get out of hand

34
Q

Reasons UN has been a success:

A

Its claim to represent the whole global community gives the UN a legitimacy in bringing peace and security which regional bodies like NATO lack

When its leading members are united and have the will to act, the UN has been successful in enforcing peace against aggressors

35
Q

Reasons UN has not been a success:

A

Divisions among UNSC members and a lack of will by leading powers to support UN operations have also resulted in many failures

UN interventions have frequently been underpowered and suffer from unrealistic mandates

Deadlock in the UNSC has prevented any UN role in many major crises, as in the case of Kosovo

Members states are often not prepared to give up their sovereignty and respond effectively to the UN’s campaigns

UN organisations have been over-bureaucratic and wasteful

Underfunded

36
Q

Why are there calls to reform the UN:

A

Most important example is the reform of the Security Council - risk that an over large Council will become unworkable, especially if more members have vetoes

Reform is to make the UN more effective in tackling peace and security issues - yet lack of a consensus among UN members over whether it is legitimate to disregard national sovereignty and intervene

Effectiveness of peacekeeping forces also need to be improved - here the obstacle is the reluctance of developed countries to risk their troops on missions to countries where their national interest are not at stake

Reform needed in the UN organisation itself

UN’s ability to stand up for Human Rights also needed to be reformed

37
Q

Why have the IMF and the World Bank attracted so much criticism:

A

Both organisations have been committed since the 1980s to the neoliberal ‘Washington Consensus’ approach - rigidly applied formula that ignores local conditions and often seriously damages Southern economies

Most sustained criticism of both institutions relates to their role in the South

Dominated by Northern countries

Claimed both organisations are following misguided policies that are damaging and benefit the North at the cost of poverty in the South

38
Q

Does the WTO serve the interests of the rich countries at the expense of the poor?

A

WTO is dominated by rich Northern countries

There are subtle biases within the decision making structures that systematically favour developed over developing countries

WTO pursues an agenda that advances Northern interests, and especially those of TNCs who influence the rich countries’ negotiating positions, at the expense of the South

WTO rules allowed the USA, EU and Japan to keep up tariff barriers against Southern exports and subsided US and EU food exports which are ruining Southern farmers

North also seeks to use the WTO to further open up Southern markets

WTO rulings take insufficient notice of humanitarian and environmental considerations

39
Q

NATO’s roles:

A

World’s most powerful military alliance, it deploys forces to meet new military tasks and challenges that its members wish to respond to

NRF should enable NATO to combat threats to Western interests

US participation makes credible NATO’s security guarantee that its members will be defended collectively if they are threatened

NATO also aims to stabilise East Europe by reassuring former Soviet Bloc countries about their security

40
Q

NATO’s main problems:

A

Tensions between the US and the European members of NATO

NATOs expansion - in danger of turning into more of a political than a military alliance

Relations with Russia - NATO has to adapt to the fact that Russia is now much more powerful than in the 1990s

41
Q

Steps necessary for NATO to survive:

A

Requires the US to continue to follow multilateralist policies

European states, must be willing to act against common dangers

It is also essential that European members of NATO improve their capabilities

Another issue is the danger that further enlargement might make NATO too unwieldy and add huge territories that it would be hard pressed to defend, as well as antagonising Russia

42
Q

Difference between ‘Global Governance’ and ‘World Government’:

A

‘Global Governance’ is not the same as a formal ‘world government’, whereby states would have surrendered their sovereignty to a single global political authority.

The world is a long way from this, though some of the institutions that have already emerged do exercise some of the functions that might be expected of a ‘world government’ e.g. the UNSC’s resolutions are meant to be binding

43
Q

UN history - Impact of the Cold War:

A

Cold War prevented the UN from acting as originally intended:

  • The Security Council was polarised and cooperation between the leading powers to prevent breaches of peace was impossible
  • Both sides used the veto to protect their client states from criticism or sanctions
  • Collective Security was impossible during the Cold War instead ‘peacekeeping’ was developed
44
Q

UN history - New Prioritises as a result of the rise of Southern influence:

A

Growth of member states (51 in 1945, 193 in 2012)

‘Third World’ states were successful in getting the UN to respond to their priorities - decolonisation + economic + social development

Expansion of the UN set North-South tensions alongside the East-West ones of the Cold War, showing one of the weaknesses of IGO’s - they tend to become battlegrounds for national interests rather than finding common agendas

Southern states, organising in blocs like the G7, were able to force issues important to them - decolonisation, trade, development - up the UN’s agenda, especially in bodies like the UN Conference on Trade + Development (UNCTAD)

45
Q

Arguments National Sovereignty limits the effectiveness of ‘Global Governance’:

A

UN, as ever, is at the mercy of its member states, and particularly the attitude of the superpower - Bush disregarded it over Iraq in 2003

Despite ‘responsibility to protect’, it had done little so far to prevent massive human rights abuses in a range of conflicts, such as Darfur

ICC has struggled against US opposition

EU itself remains well short of a true federation

Dominated by the rich developed countries, especially the US

International cooperation against global problems has a very mixed record

46
Q

What is the ‘Responsibility to Respect’?

A

Global political commitment which was endorsed by all member states of the UN at the 2005 World Summit to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing + crimes against humanity

47
Q

What is the Principle of the ‘Responsibility to Respect’?

A

Based on the underlying premise that sovereignty entails a responsibility to protect all populations from mass atrocity crimes + human rights violations

Principle is based on a respect for the norms + principles of the international law, especially the underlying principles of law relating to sovereignty, peace + security, human rights and armed conflict

48
Q

Why is there the ‘Responsibility to Protect’?

A

Used to provide a framework for employing measures, for example, economic sanctions, to prevent atrocity crimes + to ultimately protect civilians from their occurrence

49
Q

Who has the authority to enforce the ‘Responsibility to Protect’?

A

United Nations Security Council - considered a measure of last resort

50
Q

Why the UNSC should reform?

A

Lack of representation - Japan + Germany, huge economic strength, and emerging powers such as India, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt + SA all have reasons to be members

Existing membership = a regional imbalance, with no representation for Africa or Latin America among its permanent members

51
Q

What is the difference between peacekeepers and observers?

A

Observers = unarmed military officers sent to a conflict area in small numbers simply to watch what happens and report back to the UN

Peacekeepers = lightly armed soldiers

52
Q

NATO stands for…

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - World’s most powerful regional defence alliance

53
Q

Origins of NATO:

A

Formed in 1949 to counter the threat of post-war communist expansion

Traditionally stated its general aim as being to “safeguard freedom, common heritage + civilisation” of its members by promoting “stability”

54
Q

Changes to NATO since the Cold War:

A

NATO redefined its role by using its defensive role to justify a more proactive approach to “out of area” activities

55
Q

Criticisms of NATO:

A

Disputes between countries - e.g. the invasion of Iraq

Reluctance of many NATO governments to supply reinforcements e.g. Afghanistan - reinforces questions about alliances ability to sustain large scale operations

56
Q

Arguments NATO should continue to exist in a post-Cold War world:

A

Russia is a threat - as shown through actions in Crimea 2014

Still communism - need to convey Democratic views

Greater ability to adapt to different situations in the modern world - use more effective peacekeeping

Encourages military as an option - helps to ensure equipped to defend + threaten - effective defence

NATO consists of 10 European countries out of 12 founding NATO members - as EU doesn’t have military force illustrates need for the use of NATO for protection, NATO not simply used as a tool by the US

57
Q

Problems of the UN Security Council:

A

As 5 permanent members have veto can create deadlock

Not all representatives get an equal say - don’t consult countries that are most affected by events

All nations should contribute equally however there is a lack of representatives from emerging powers + certain areas of the world

Failed to agree on how to resolve the issue of Syria

No progress on the humanitarian front

Problem of realpolitik - states will always look out for their own interest

Nations don’t contribute equally both financially + through contribution of peacekeepers

58
Q

What was the Bretton Woods system replaced with?

A

G8

59
Q

What was the Bretton Woods System?

A

Key institutions of the World’s Financial System were established at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference in US

60
Q

Why was the Bretton Woods System created?

A

Sought to ensure that the world avoided the economic problems which had contributed to the tensions which caused WW2

Conference aimed to promote the revival of international trade + to rebuild European prosperity

61
Q

Why did the Bretton Woods System end?

A

Though policies were successful in reviving the European + Japanese economies, they were unsustainable for the US by the 1970s

In 1971, US abandoned the convertibility of the $ into Gold and the Bretton Woods system of stable exchange rates collapsed

A2 Politics (10 decks)

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