W1: Reading (Bruce Cronin) Flashcards
"The two faces of the UN: The tensions between Intergovernmentalism and transnationalism'
What is UN as IO = enigma
≠ traditional IO
≠ characteristics of world government
= organisation of, by and for independent sovereign states + semi-dependent actor with semiautonomous civil service
= Intergovernmentalist Organisation
= transnationalist organisation
3 points
Intergovernmentalist organisation
- created by members governemnts
- governend by permanent secretariat
- for neo-realists: reflects distirubtion of power & capabilities among MSs; refelcts conventinoal wisdom of balance of power & collective security theory
Transnationalist Organisation
NGOs
- complex network of specialised agencies
- serve a variety of constituencies
Transnationalist Organisation
UN MS + Security council
little control over these bodies
UNCTAD: own secretariat + secretary-general
Transnationalist Organisation
UN
- independent international actor in both legal and political sence
- international legal personality: sobject to IL, rights + duties under IL
- transnational identity, international actor
Transnationalist Organisation
mulitple sources of power & authority within the organisation
MS, Security coundil, secretariat, general assembly…
speaks for… (author)
Speaks for the wider internatioanl interest, own interest greater than the sum of interests of the MS
Pérez de Cuéllar
UN = BOTH INTERGOVERNMENTAL + TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
most important role of UN in global affairs
legitimation of certain ideas (non-use of force, decolonisation, human rights…)
UN = BOTH INTERGOVERNMENTAL + TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
involvement of NGOs; specialised knowledge & professional leadership
- some issues & missions do not involve actoins of states
- some tasks avoided by Great Powers
- states lack legitimacy to act
- many nonstate actors (NGOs) have created new constituencies
- UN has come to represent ‘international community’
BUT some programs & operations started by nonstae actors ≠ what MS want
International Community
broader community that transcends the individual actors
- world organisation not only guided by interests of its members & associatez, but also by norms that transcend the state interests
- governed by a set of fundamentally normal and ethical norms that even sovereign states are obliged to observe
unit of analysis
Adding International Community to analysis enhances our understanding of IR and UN
1, 2
- concept = more specific -> mpre operational -> allowws for limited set of generalisations about state behavior
- allows for wider range of actors other than states, but does not diminish state’s influence -> one does not have to settle debate over intergovernmentalist + transnationalist
INTERGOVERNMENTALIST VS. TRANSNATIONALIST
4 actors in UN system
- intergovernmental decision-making bodies (Security Council, General Assembly)
- Affiliated organisation + specialised agencies
- Secretariat
- NGOs
INTERGOVERNMENTALIST VS. TRANSNATIONALIST
3 constituencies in UN system
- MS
- Local population = recipients of programs & services
- broadly defined international community
INTERGOVERNMENTALIST VS. TRANSNATIONALIST
Conflict when UN fails to distinguish between…
- role as intergovernmentalist organisation coordinating activities of MS
- role as transnational networkd promoting common goods
Paradox in IR
IGOs (UN) increasingly assume wide range of tasks
4 points
- forced to assign many of responsibilities to NGOs
- NGOs often act at odds with MS
- transnational concerns threaten to replace intergovernmental ones in agenda
- states dominate agenda, but NGOs get a lot of oppurtunities provided by the UN to exercise level of influence
UN as intergovernmental institution –> ‘stage’
- coercive control of state conduct/behavior -> wisdom of balance of power and collective security theory: ability of Securoty coundil to intervene
- use of militry
- economic snactions
- can legitimately evoke the ‘breach of peace’ clause
- peacemaking, peace enforcing, peacebuilding -> dispute settlement
- peace, prosperity
