YR 2- Global Politics: institutions Flashcards
When was the UN officially established?
1945
What was the creation of the UN a reaction to?
A reaction to the 2 world wars, the Holocaust, and the failures of the League of Nations
Summarise in 1 sentence what the United Nations is
The UN is a global diplomatic and political organisation dedicated to international peace and stability
The UN initially had how many members?
41 member states
How many members does the UN have today?
193 members
Identify the 4 main goals of the UN
1) maintain international peace / security
2) develop friendly relations among nations
3) achieve international cooperation in solving international issues
4) be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends
Name the 2 structures that make up the United Nations
UNSC - United Nations Security Council
UNGA - United Nations General Assembly
Explain the member structure of the UN Security Council
- has 15 members of which 5 are permanent
Who are the P5 and what are they a product of ?
-USA
-UK
-FRANCE
-CHINA
-RUSSIA
mostly victors of WW2
there are 10 temporary members on rotational seats in the UN security council. Explain what continents they must be from.
•5 from Africa/Asia
•2 from Latin America
•2 from Western Europe
•1 from Eastern Europe
What do the P5 have that make them special in the UNSC?
A VETO
What is the realist reason for why the P5 have a veto?
To make sure that the major powers remain committed to the UN
What is the primary role of the UN Security Council?
To maintain the international security
Decisions in the UN Security Council require the vote of ___/15 members
9/15
What are the options for the UNSC? what can they do to countries that act against international peace + security?
-diplomatic measured like condemnation
-sanctions: economic, cultural etc
-arms embargoes
-referral to the ICC
-military force (NATO)
-peacekeeping forces
-recognition of states
Which country of the UN Security Council has used the most vetoes and how many have they used since 1945?
Russia / USSR - used 126 UNSC vetoes
When did China first use their UNSC veto and who do they use it in conjunction with?
First used it in 2006. Always use it in conjunction with Russia
How could we reform the UN membership?
• expansion of the P5 - India, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan etc
• abolish the veto
• weaken the veto - 2 states need to use the veto to stop something
Are UN Security Council resolutions binding on all member states?
YES! BINDING
What does the UN Security Council do well? Give some strengths
-provides a platform for debate + discussion
-gives legitimacy to international decisions
-has all major powers involved
-it promotes principle of collective security
-gives an institution primary responsibility for international security
Explain Namibia as a strength of the UNSC
1989 - a UN peacekeeping mission helped end a civil war in+ supported the first free & fair elections in Namibia’s history. Today Namibia is a stable middle income country with a democracy
What does the UNSC do badly? Name some of their weaknesses
-power of the veto = unequal power
-unrepresentative: P5 all in global north
-limited ability to enforce resolutions: no standing army
-it is reactive not proactive.
-powerful states can act outside the UN without fear of consequences.
-outdated - rooted in history: WW2
Summarise Rwanda as a failure of the UN Security Council
The UN had an ‘assistance mission’ for Rwanda in 1994, which knew of the impending genocide. But its peacekeepers failed to stop the majority of Hutus going on a murderous rampage and killing almost 1 million members of the Tutsi minority.
How many members are in the UN General Assembly? (UN)
193 members
What does the UN General Assembly do?
Delivers recommendations on many international issues and managed internal UN appointments + budget approvals.
How does the structure / voting structure of the UN General Assembly work?
Voting on key issues is on a 2/3 (super) majority basis. The 193 members have 1 vote each.
Are recommendations from the UN General Assembly binding on its members?
NO, not all are binding.
Explain the “lowest common denominator” criticism of the UN General Assembly’s voting structure.
It focuses excessively on reaching consensus and passing resolutions that reflected every member’s opinions. But its hard to get 193 countries to agree to something. Therefore, only watered down statements get passed that 2/3 can agree to.
Why has the UN General Assembly been criticised for grandstanding?
At meetings, many members accuse each other of things and walk out. For example, North Korea and Turkey have stormed out of meetings before
Name some successes of the UN General Assembly
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948
- Sustainable Development Goals 2015
- Genuinely democratic (unlike UNSC). One person = one vote.
What does NATO stand for?
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION
When was NATO founded?
1949
How many members did NATO begin with and how many does it have now?
Began with 12, now has 32 members
What does article 5 of NATO lay out?
The principle of collective defence: an attack on one is an attack on all
What is the 1 event that triggered NATO article 5 ?
9/11 (America is included in NATO
What are the 3 factors considered when accepting a new member into NATO?
1) must be geographically in Europe (except USA)
2) must be a democracy
3) must be willing to contribute to the security of NATO
what happens if one member doesn’t want to accept a certain new member into NATO?
Every member must agree to admit a new member
What statistics prove that NATO is overly reliant on the USA?
USA defence spending budget: $857 billion. USA provides 67% of the defence spending of NATO
What was NATO’s primary purpose when it was created in 1949?
To act as a deterrent against the USSR (cold war) and its satellite states, who were aligned in the Warsaw Pact
NATO successfully cements the relationship between who?
Europe and America
Why did NATO have to find a new role?
The collapse of the USSR and the Cold War in 1990
What is NATO’s ‘new role’ ?
European + global peacemaking and crisis management force
What other organisation does the NATO often work closely with?
The UN. NATO often carries out military resolutions for UN
