INTERNATIONALRELATIONS2013–2014 UpdateTenth Edition

Joshua S. Goldstein Jon C. Pevehouse

Chapter Seven: International Organization, Law, and Human Rights

Southern Sudan rebels arrive for joint exercise with government, 2008.

7.1 Roles of International Organizations

Anarchic nature of international system based on state sovereignty

States work togetherRules that govern most interactions in IRAgreed norms of behaviorPower of international norms and standards of moralityShared norms and habits may not suffice to solve international

dilemmasInternational organizations

International norms are evolving in such areas as humanitarian intervention and human rights. These norms help define the roles of international organizations. One of their areas of concern is the use of child soldiers, like this ten-year-old Libyan rebel in 2011. Another concern, the protection of civilians from slaughter, inspired NATO intervention in the Libya conflict.

NOT THE NORM

International Organizations

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)Global or regional or bilateral in scopeGeneral or specific functional purposesRegional IGOs - European Union, Association of South

East Asian Nations, Southern Cone Common Market, African Union

Global IGOs - UN, Intelsat, OPECNGOs - more specialized in function than IGOs

7.1 Roles of International Organizations Q: National leaders can expect certain behaviors from their international counterparts. These are known as __________.

A) international covenants

B) international norms

C) international standards

D) global expectations

Answer:

B) international norms

True-False:

The European Union is a global IGO.

Answer:

False

7.2 The United Nations

The UN system

The Security Council

Peacekeeping Forces

The Secretariat

The General Assembly

UN programs

Autonomous agencies

MyLab Media

Video: UN Aid in Somalia

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_longman_media_1/2013_mpsl_video/UN_Aid_in_Somalia/index.html

Please log into MyPoliSciLab with your username and password before accessing this link.

The UN SystemPurpose

Structure of the UN

History

The United Nations has very limited powers and resources, yet the world places great hopes in the UN when national governments cannot solve problems. Sometimes the UN seems to need an assist, like this vehicle in 2010 in Western Sahara, where the peace process itself has been stuck for many years.

MAKING PROGRESS

The Security CouncilMaintains international peace and security

Resolutions

Permanent members

Nonpermanent members

Powers

Proposed changes

Collective security rests with the UN Security Council, which has authorized such military interventions as the Gulf War and the 2001 campaign in Afghanistan. Military actions not approved by the Council—such as the 1999 bombing of Serbia and the 2003 U.S.-British invasion of Iraq—tend to be controversial. Here, Serbia’s president (left end of table) objects to Kosovo’s claim of independence from Serbia, 2008. With the permanent members split on the issue—Russia and China backed Serbia while the United States, Britain, and France recognized Kosovo— the Council did not take action.

COUNCIL OF POWER

Peacekeeping ForcesBorrowed from armies of member states

Peacekeeping missions

Recent missions

Peace building

Observing and peacekeeping

Peacemaking

The Secretariat

Secretary-General

Staff

Purposes

The UN secretary-general has a lofty mission but limited power and resources. Ban Ki-moon, here learning some dance moves from fellow South Korean PSY in 2012, faces daunting tasks, serving multiple bosses (the member states) with a tight budget.

DIPLOMATIC MOVES

The General AssemblyMembership

Sessions

Powers

The universal membership of the United Nations is one of its strengths. All member states have a voice and a vote in the General Assembly, where state leaders rotate through each autumn. Here, the president of Palestine, which hopes to join the UN as soon as the Security Council allows it, addresses the Assembly in 2011.

ASSEMBLY OF EQUALS

UN ProgramsFunded partly by General Assembly allocations

UN Environment Program (UNEP)

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) - Palestinian refugees

UN Development Program (UNDP)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Human Rights Council

An array of UN programs, operating under the General Assembly, aim to help countries in the global South to overcome social and economic problems. These programs play a crucial role in the international assistance after disasters and wars. This girl displaced by ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 receives help from UNICEF.

HELPING WHERE NEEDED

Autonomous Agencies

UN General Assembly maintains formal ties with international agencies not under its control

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)World Health Organization (WHO)Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)International Labor Organization (ILO)UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO)UN Industrial Development OrganizationInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU)

Autonomous Agencies (cont.)

Universal Postal Union (UPU)International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)International Maritime Organization (IMO)World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)World Meteorological Organization (WMO)UN-affiliated agenciesWorld Bank, International Monetary FundWorld Trade Organization

7.2 The United NationsQ: The UN’s peacekeeping forces are __________.

A) a standing army ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice

B) assembled by the secretary-general each time a mission is deemed necessary

C) able to serve in a country even if the government does not want them there

D) funded out of the general UN budget

Answer:

B) assembled by the secretary-general each time a mission is deemed necessary

True-False:

An early example of the granting of authority for peacekeeping forces was the Suez crisis in 1956.

Answer:

True

7.3 International Law

Sources of International Law

Enforcement of International Law

The World Court

International Cases in National Courts

Sources of International LawNo legislative branch or central authority

Treaties

Custom

General principles of law

Legal scholarship

Enforcement of International Law

Difficult to enforce

Dependent upon

The World Court (International Court of Justice)

The Hague, Netherlands

Optional clause

Main use

Regional courts

The World Court hears international disputes, but with little power to enforce judgments. Here, in 2004, the judges rule in favor of Mexico’s complaint that the U.S. death penalty against Mexican citizens violated a 1963 treaty.

ALL RISE

International Cases in National Courts

Advantages

Limits

7.3 International LawQ: International law depends on collective action, international norms for enforcement, and __________.

A) reciprocity

B) organizations

C) laws

D) courts

Answer:

A) reciprocity

True-False:

Recognized by the World Court as subsidiary to the others, one source of international law is historical scholarship.

Answer:

False

7.4 Law and Sovereignty

Laws of Diplomacy

Just War Doctrine

Laws of Diplomacy

Diplomatic recognitionEmbassiesDiplomatic immunityDiplomatic pouchBreaking diplomatic relations

International law prohibits attacks on diplomats and embassies. This fundamental principle, like others in international law, is ultimately enforced through reciprocity. When the founder of Wikileaks took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, the British government considered coming in and taking him, but thought better of it. Here, after six months in residency, he delivers a speech from the embassy balcony, 2012.

OUT OF REACH

Just War Doctrine

Laws of war

Just wars vs. wars of aggression

7.4 Law & Sovereignty Question: Which of the following undermines the laws of warfare?

A) The increase in the issuance of declarations of war by participants

B) The just-war doctrine

C) The convening of war crimes tribunals

D) The increase in nonconventional warfare

Answer:

D) The increase in nonconventional warfare

True-False:

Diplomats, once accredited, enjoy special rights and protections in host countries.

Answer:

True

7.5 Human Rights

Individual Rights vs. Sovereignty

Human Rights Institutions

War Crimes

The Evolution of World Order

MyLab Media

Simulations: Conflict: Human Rights: You are a Refugee

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/long_mpsk_media_1/sims_2011/refugee/player.html

Please log into MyPoliSciLab with your username and password before accessing this link.

Individual rights vs. Sovereignty

Idea of human rights flies in face of sovereigntyDifficult to reach consensus on what are most

important human rightsUniversal vs. relativeConcept of human rights has at least three sourcesNo globally agreed-upon definition of essential human

rightsCivil-political rightsEconomic-social rights

International norms concerning human rights conflict with state sovereignty, causing friction in relationships such as that of Burma (Myanmar) with the international community. Here, in 2008, Buddhist monks in Burma’s capital lead huge demonstrations against the repressive military government, which cracked down harshly within days. Western powers apply economic sanctions against Burma because of its human rights record.

SEA OF RED

Human Rights Institutions

Universal Declaration of Human rightsSeven treaties to further define protections of human

rightsRegional Ios promote protection of human rightsNGOsResponsibility to protect

War Crimes

Large-scale abuses of human rights often occur during warSerious violations of this kind are considered war crimesNorms of legal conduct in war as well as international treatiesCrimes against humanityInternational war crimes tribunalsInternational Criminal CourtPrivate military forcesLaws of war, POWs, International Committee of the Red CrossChanging context of laws of war

Rwandan survivor visits memorial on tenth anniversary of the 1994 genocide.

War crimes include unnecessary targeting of civilians and mistreatment of prisoners of war (POWs). The most notorious war crime in Europe in recent decades was the massacre of more than 7,000 men and boys by Serbian forces who overran the UN “safe area” of Srebrenica, Bosnia, in 1995. Here, a mass grave in Bosnia is excavated in 2007.

REMAINS OF WAR CRIMES

International Criminal CourtChief Prosecutor,Fatou Bensouda

The Evolution of World Order

Most powerful states

Dutch power in the 1600s

20th century

Post-Cold War era

7.5 Human RightsQ: A just war can __________.

A) be waged to change another state’s government, if it is violating human rights

B) be waged for ethnic or religious reasons

C) be waged only in response to aggression

D) involve the use of nuclear weapons

Answer:

C) be waged only in response to aggression

True-False:

Under the law of war, soldiers have the right to surrender, abandoning their role as combatants and becoming prisoners of war.

Answer:

True

Chapter Discussion Question

How does the UN embody a tension between state sovereignty and supranational authority? And why the do world’s states participate in the UN, given their own individual national interests? What happens when those national interests diverge from international norms and laws?