Migration EQ3 Flashcards
What is an IGO?
An organisation composed primarily of sovereign states, or of other intergovernmental organisations. IGOs are established by treaty or other agreement that acts as a charter creating the group.
What are the United nations?
The United Nations was set up in 1945. With other global IGOs, it was part of an attempt to create a new world order of peace, prosperity and stability, and avoid further world wars.
What is global governance?
Governance suggests border notions of steering or piloting rather than the direct form of control associated with the government. Global governance, therefore, describes steering rules, norms, codes and regulations used to regulate human activity and the international level. At this scale, regulation laws can be tough to enforce.
What was the process of the league of nations to the creation of the United Nations?
In 1919, after the first world war, The League of Nations was established as an American initiative, in an attempt to ensure future global peace. It aimed to give a voice to independent nations, rather than powerful empires and opens up discussions about conflicts rather than indulging in secret diplomacy. In 1920 it had 48 members
What are the UN bodies?
- UNDP: United Nations development programme
- FAO: Food and agricultural organisation
- UNICEF: United Nations international children emergency fund
- WHO: World health organisation
- UNPF: United Nations population fund
- WFP: World food programme
- UNHCR: United Nations high commissioner for refugees
- UNEP: United Nations environment programme
- UNESCO: United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation
What is the timeline of the key roles of the UN?
What are the 6 principle organs of the UN?
- The General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly);
- The Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security);
- The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; for promoting international economic and social cooperation and development);
- The Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN);
- The International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ);
- The UN Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994)
How was the UN developed?
Roosevelt introduced the term United Nations during the Second World War, when, in 1942, 26 nations agreed to work as allies against axis powers. As allies, they agreed to establish an international organisation – similar to, but more effective than the League of Nations – that would aim to maintain global peace and security after the end of war 2.
What is the role of the UN?
The first UN General assembly met in London in 1946, with a focus on developing the peaceful uses of atomic energy, as well as eliminating weapons of mass destruction. Seven decades later, the UN’s work has evolved into a range of functions to help manage global environmental, socio-economic and political issues. For example:
- Maintaining international peace and security
- Promoting sustainable development: E.g 2015 sustainable development goals.
- Protecting human rights: E.g the international bill of human rights.
- Upholding international law: On trade, the law of the sea, justice and information.
- Delivering humanitarian aid: E.g to refugees from conflict, the sick from epidemics.
What is the security council?
The most powerful decision-making body within the UN is the Security Council. It makes decisions on issues such as:
- Taking military action against countries seen to be breaking international law or persecuting people.
- Applying economic or diplomatic sanctions to countries, to try to force them to change their behaviour
- The Security Council’s five permanent members tend to act as two blocs, which gives the ‘Western’ powers a 3:2 advantage. The USA, France and the UK (all NATO members) tend to vote together. Russia and China often vote the same way or abstain from some votes.
What is the UN’s role in global governance and what is it influenced by?
The UN is well in global governance and is influenced by the vision of the UN Secretary-General.
- In 1974, the Secretary-General placed hunger on the UN agenda, and he also introduced the year of women in 1975.
- After 1992, the Secretary-General introduced the agenda for sustainable development.
- In 1996, the Secretary-General incorporated UN programs on gender, health, and peacekeeping and also established the millennium development goals in 2000.
- In 2006, Secretary-General made climate change a priority.
Why do the UN use sanctions and what are examples of possible sanctions?
Human rights are an essential pillar of the UN. The SC meets to respond to threats, e.g. armed conflict. Sometimes introducing economic sanctions against countries where human suffering is prevalent, or even using direct military intervention to protect people from conflict.
- Arms embargoes
- Trade embargoes
- Restrictions on loans
- Freezing assets
- Travel restrictions
Two examples of Iran and Bosnia show the success of the UN actions.
What are the interventions by the UN?
The main reason why the UN intervenes:
- In defence of human rights
Main methods of intervention:
- Economic (/sectoral) sanctions
- Direct military intervention
What was the Iran case study on economic sanctions?
A suspicion that Iran – considered by some as a rogue state was attempting to build nuclear weapons, led to the imposition of economic sanctions and financial restrictions by the UN. At the time, Iran was the world’s 4th largest oil exporting country and influence global oil prices to OPEC. The impact of the trade embargo on Iranian oil prices is significant. July 2012 marked the beginning of the trade embargo and the price of Iran’s crude oil exports declined, from 2,500,000 barrels of crude or exported per day in 2011 to 1,000,000 in 2014. Although the UN was shown as willing to act, Iran’s annual GDP fell by just 5%.
What was the Bosnia case study on direct military involvement?
- Bosnia is a former part of Yugoslavia. In 1993, the UN was provoked into action following allegations of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by Bosnian Serb forces against Bosnian Muslims. To protect Bosnian Muslims, the UN designated a safe zone in Srebrenica a small town in north-eastern Bosnia, protected by a small force of Dutch UN peacekeepers.
- However, the town was soon put under siege by Bosnian Serb forces. Supplies of food ran low and many Muslims died of starvation. In 1995, Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica; massacring 8000 Muslim men and boys and deporting 23,000 women and children, many of who suffered rape. Dutch peacekeepers were hopelessly outnumbered; several were taken hostage by Bosnian Serbs and threatened with execution if the Dutch interfered. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described the massacre as a tragedy that would haunt the UN forever.
What is ethnic cleansing?
What is a rogue state?
Is the systematic, forced removal of ethnic, racial and/or religious groups from a given territory by a more powerful ethnic group, often with the intent of making it ethnically homogeneous.
A nation or state is regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations.
What is the unilateral action of Russia?
In 2014 Russian-backed forces seized control of the Crimea region of Ukraine, attempting to regain political influence over the country. In protest, in 2014, the EU, USA, Australia, Canada and Norway to impose sanctions on 23 leading Russian politicians – that overseas financial assets were frozen, and they were also prevented from travelling to these five areas. The USA also lead moves towards sectoral sanctions i.e. targeting key areas of the Russian economy for further sanctions. The UN General assembly met in 2014, but not all UN members agreed to act further. 100 member states supported a UN commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but no action when Russia used its veto.
- US$70 to 90,000,000,000 left Russia as wealthy Russian investors sought secure overseas banks.
- Russia became less dependent on oil and gas exports and instead increase the diversification of its economy.
- Russian farmers gained larger home markets, because of the restrictions on imported food.
- The EU kept importing Russian energy supplies, despite the sanctions.
- Exports from the EU and USA were hit.
What is the proposed unilateral action of the UK?
In 2013, the UK government sought a resolution of the UN Security Council to condemn the use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces. This required the backing of five permanent members – China, Russia, the USA, the UK and France. China and Russia have historically vetoed action against Syria, and the vote was unlikely to pass. UK government argued that it had a legal basis for humanitarian intervention to relieve suffering by deterring further use of chemical weapons. In the event, the UK Parliament voted against intervention in Syria.
What is the proposed unilateral action of the USA?
Sometimes UN members take part in unilateral action, one country, a group of countries, acts against another without formal UN approval. This can have a deep impact on geopolitical relations and global stability. An example occurred after the 9/11 attack in 2001. As part of the war on terror, a coalition of forces led by the USA, including the UK, Australia Poland, invaded Iraq in 2003 and deposed Saddam Hussein’s government. The UN initially support the invasion based on evidence of the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which was subsequently proved wrong.
What are the 3 IGOs established after WW11?
- IMF
- WTO
- World bank
What was the reasoning behind creating the Bretton wood institutions?
The IMF and World Bank are known as the Bretton Woods institutions after the conference at which they were formed in 1944.
At the close of WWII, there was a will amongst the Allies to rebuild the world and avoid the protectionism that resulted in the Great Depression of the 1930s which in turn contributed to the rise of fascism in Europe.
