International organizations

Question 1

Learning objectives

Answer 1

What are international organizations?
Why do they exist?
* Cooperation problems
* Collaboration problems
* Reduce transaction costs
Legitimize foreign policies

Question 2

Some puzzles

Answer 2

• When the UN security council wanted information on Iraq’s nuclear weapons program, it sent inspectors from the international atomic energy agency rather than rely on inspections conducted by US troops or self-reports from Iraq.
  
  • Countries rely on rules developed for international air travel developed by the international civil aviation organization rather than only using their own national laws on inbound aircraft.
  • When the US decided to oppose Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, it declined to act unilaterally. It worked through the UN security council
  • Canada maintains its annual UN membership even though it also funds 230 embassies and consulates around the world

Question 3

The demand for international organizations

Answer 3

• International organizations enable states to:
• accomplish goals they otherwise could not achieve on their own.
• achieve outcomes more cheaply and efficiently than they could on their own.

Question 4

Functions

Answer 4

Function 1: solve cooperation dillemas
Function 2: Solve coordination problems

The United Nations
Governing Bodies

Question 5

From the Textbook
An international organization

Answer 5

• Has at least three members
  
  • Has some sort of fixed membership
  • Is governed by a set of rules or agreements
  • Has some kind of formal structure or routine by which it works

Question 6

Intergovernmental Organizations

Answer 6

• An intergovernmental organization has a membership of states only
  
  • These organizations are usually formed by a treaty or agreement, and their functions and practices are determined by their member states

Intergovernmental Organizations
* World bank: International organization that provides financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to governments of developing countries
* ASEAN: Regional organization of southeast Asian states that seeks to increase economic development, promote peace and stability, and increase regional cooperation
* African Union: Organization of African countries that seeks to promote unity, defend state sovereignty, eradicate colonialism, and promote international cooperation as well as collaboration between its member states
United Nations: International organization that maintains international peace and security through the promotion of international cooperation

Question 7

The UN has six main bodies:

Answer 7

1. The General Assembly
   
   2. The Security Council
   3. The Economic and Social Council
   4. The Trusteeship Council (suspended on Nov. 1, 1994)
   5. The International Court of Justice
   6. The Secretariat

Question 8

General Assembly and Security Council

Answer 8

General Assembly
The main deliberative organ of the United Nations, composed of representatives from all 193 member states, each of which has one vote.
* Determines UN budget and expenditures.
* Elects non-permanent members of the Security Council.

Security Council
Primary responsibility is for international peace and security.
* 5 permanent seats who each hold a veto power: China, Russia, United States, France, United Kingdom.
* 10 rotating seats. Dispute resolution, economic sanctions, peacekeeping, and peacemaking.
General Assembly
* Universal membership that includes all legitimate states.
* States vote on resolutions democratically, with each state guaranteed one equal vote regardless of stature.
Security Council
* Under the UN Charter, all member states must comply with Security Council decisions. Resolutions are legally-binding.
* Five permanent members are granted veto power, meaning they can strike down any proposal.