International organizations

• International Organizations


  • Membership
  • Restricted membership
  • Universal membership
  • Competence
  • Issue specific
  • comprehensive
  • Decision making
  • Intergovernmental
  • Supranational
• Perpetual Peace


  Immanuel Kant's work (1795)
• Republics = democracies?
• Democratic peace approach


  Democratic states do not wage war
• Kant: need for establishment of a peaceful world community
• An organization (platform) where states should control conflicts and promote peace among nations
• Concert of Europe


  • Developed after Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century
  • Function: maintaining status-quo and balance of power in European affairs
  • Prevent one state to take major action in Europe without consulting other major powers
  • Beginning of international law
• League of Nations


  • Inspired by US president Woodrow Wilson
  • "Fourteen Points" – basis for long term peace
  • Major problems: It was never a "league of nations" – participation problem, US Isolationism (domestic perception in the US), Was Wilson's idea but US Congress says no
• Germany becomes member in 1926 but left it after Hitler (NAZI party) came to power in 1933
• Japan left in 1933 (Manchuria)
• Italy left in 1936 (Abyssinia)
• Soviet Union left in 1939 (Finland)
• Structural problems of the League of Nations

  • Lack of power
  • Recommendations (no executive power)
  • No binding resolutions
  • Decisions = unanimous only
  • No mechanism to take military action
  • No mechanism to initiate economic sanctions
• League of Nations stood largely powerless as Germany started its irredentist policy (Europe), Italy became aggressive (Africa), Japan attacked Manchuria and China (Asia), League of Nations was unable to stop the outbreak of the WW 2
• No coincidence that League of Nations was set up after the WW 1
• Order not necessarily means an established international system with rules and law
• Major question: how can a universal international organization such as the League of Nations could possibly bring order to international relations?
• Munich Agreement


  • An agreement allowing Hitler annexation of German speaking territories (Czechoslovakia)
  • Sudetenland
  • British prime minister Neville Chamberlain declared "peace is secured!"
  • Appeasement policy: "Give the bad guy what he wants and he don't make any trouble"
  • Hitler Germany invades Czechoslovakia
  • Hitler became even more aggressive and started WW 2
• Collective security


  • All member states take action altogether against an aggressor
  • Unclear questions: How about if the aggressor is a world power? How about if some states refuse to take action? How does the mechanism work (decision making)?
• How can collective security work?

  • Members must keep their alliance commitments
  • Enough member states must agree on what constitutes the aggression
  • Members must provide military and economic support
• Collective security concept of the League of Nations did not work
• Another world war could not be stopped
• WW 2 changed the world: British lost their power, France influence declined, Germany separated, Japan (atomic bombs), Europe divided, Eastern Europe became Soviet influence zone, The Cold War started, Bipolar international system
• The United Nations


  • The most important international organization created to date
  • Established: San Francisco Conference (April-June 1945)
  • Only truly global IO
  • 193 states are member
• Brief History of the UN

  • Established in 1945 post-World War II
  • Origins lie in the desire for international cooperation and prevention of future conflicts
  • A response to the shortcomings of the League of Nations
• Objectives and Significance of the UN


  • Primary goals include maintaining international peace, promoting cooperation, and addressing global challenges
  • Acts as a forum for member states to collaborate on matters of common interest
  • Significance in shaping the contemporary international legal framework
• The UN serves as a central institution in global governance
• The establishment of the UN reflects a commitment to preventing conflicts and promoting international cooperation
• Understanding the UN's role is crucial for appreciating its impact on international law
• General Assembly


  • Comprises all 193 member states
  • Primary forum for international dialogue and cooperation
  • Decisions on important issues, budgets, and non-binding resolutions
• Security Council


  • Responsible for maintaining international peace and security
  • Composed of 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power
  • Authorizes peacekeeping missions and sanctions
• International Court of Justice (ICJ)

  • Principal judicial organ of the UN
  • Settles legal disputes between states
  • Advisory opinions on legal questions referred by the General Assembly, Security Council, or other specialized agencies
• Secretariat and Specialized Agencies

  • Secretariat: Administers and implements UN programs and policies
  • Specialized Agencies: WHO, UNESCO, ILO, etc., focus on specific issues like health, education, and labor
• Each component of the UN plays a unique role in advancing the UN's mission
• The diverse structure of the UN facilitates a comprehensive approach to global challenges
• Aims of the UN

  • Safeguarding peace and security
  • Guaranteeing human rights
  • Upholding international law
  • Promoting social progress and better life standards
• "Non-violence" by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd
• The General Assembly


  • Main advisory board
  • Consists all member states (nations)
  • Each member state has a single vote
  • It can debate any international topic
  • It can pass resolutions on any matter (covered by the Charter)
  • It determines member states contributions
  • It elects the judges of the International Court of Justice (in conjunction with the Security Council)
  • Decision modality: Important decisions: 2/3 majority
  • Important: General Assembly decisions are recommendations rather than enforceable international law
  • It has no legislative role
  • It cannot monitor the Security Council
• The Security Council


  • Function: maintaining peace and security
  • UN's negotiator, observer, peacekeeper and peace enforcer
  • Executive organ
  • Functional in world politics
  • Has the power to pass legally binding resolutions
  • Has the power to suspend or expel members
  • It can impose economic sanctions
  • It can take military action to restore peace and security
  • Has 15 members
  • Permanent members (big 5 or P-5): USA, Russia, China, UK, France
  • P-5 = veto powers (they can block decisions made by other Security Council members)
  • Non-permanent members elected for 2 years by the General Assembly (in line with an established regional balance)
• The Secretariat


  • Head: Secretary General (Antonio Guterres - Portugal)
  • Chief administrative officer
  • Is appointed by the General Assembly
  • Former prime minister of Portugal, socialist, former president of the Socialist International, former president of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Term length: 5 years, renewable, limited to 2 terms
  • Organizes other principle organs of the UN
  • Administrative programmes and policies
  • Main activities located in New York, but it has offices all around the world
  • Total staff: about 40,000 officers
  • Secretary General deals with the diverse UN bureaucracy, staffed by civil servants from multiple states
  • He / she tries to maintain the UN's independence
  • It is a very difficult job in a context of rivalry amongst P-5 states
  • Have some capacity to influence the status and policy direction of the UN