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Political Global Governance NotesIntroduction
United Nations
World’s principle INGO
Founded in 1945
Compromised of 193 member states
Has a wide range of responsibilities and powers (e.g.: international peace and security,
economic development, human rights, and social progress)
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Military alliance consisting of the USA and its key allies in Western Europe
The purpose is to protect Western Europe from military threats from the Soviet Union
What is global governance?
Government of a sovereign state is easy to identify
- Has a leader, often elected and in the form of a president/prime minister
- The leader and his/her government have to follow clear rules that set out what their powers
are and the limits of their power
- If elected directly by the population – government is seen as legitimate (has a mandate) and
the population accepts their actions
- Governments make laws that their citizens have to follow
- Courts and a police force enforce these laws
- The government proposes policies to manage the state effectively (health and education)
In most stable states, these combined activities are called governance
- State is managed effectively
- Resources are distributed fairly
- Challenges are met with decisive solutions
- There is good governance and bad governance
- Bad governance: where power may be held illegitimately, and resources are scarce or
managed incompetently
- Example: failed states such as Syria
States have recognised the need for some form of global governance
- Challenges such as global financial crisis, international terrorism, climate change and global
poverty can only be resolved by states working together
- These threats affect states and states contribute to threats
- States must work together to reduce these threats
1
,The lack of a world government
Attempts at global governance is much harder and less successful than national governance
Nation states remain powerful and decisive actors in global politics
Nation states are sovereign, meaning that they are usually able to take their own decisions
It is rare for a higher authority to do something against their wishes
How far states are willing or able to participate in global governance is linked to the different
types of power they have and the way they use their power (hard/soft/smart power)
Difficult to insert a layer of formal authority above nation states – no world government
These difficulties include:
States are the principal actors
They make or break global governance initiatives
Nothing is agreed unless states agree to act
Some states can opt out or block agreements making the agreements meaningless
- Example: Kyoto Protocol
International law is largely unenforceable
In the case of most nation-states laws, every citizen is required to comply to law and is held
accountable in courts if they break the law
International law is optional and requires states to actively sign up in order for the law to cover
them
States can choose not to sign key treaties
States can change their minds and withdraw from treaties
Customary international law – law that is so widely accepted that it applies to states regardless
of whether they have signed up for it or not
Lack of international enforcement
Even if states have signed up for international law, there are few means of international
enforcement (international human rights court) that can hold states accountable.
Rogue states
These states, particularly in ones that have an illegitimate government that is exceeding its
powers (North Korea) have no desire to be a part of any system of global governance
2
, Failed states
These states are not fully in control of their internal governance (Somalia)
Rarely effective participants in global governance
They cannot hold authority over their own populations
Insurgent groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria often take over regions in failed states
The government does not exercise full control over all of its territory
Powerful states
These states can pick and choose which global agreements they are a part of and simply ignore
international pressure
- Example: Refusal of the USA to sign climate change agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol
Since there is no single authoritative world government, states work within global institutions or
IGOs and negotiate treaties so they can reach agreements on issues of shared importance
NGOs are increasingly important in global governance initiatives
- NGOS: Not for profit organisations that are independent from states and are engaged in a
wide range of activities
The work of global governance is primarily conducted between nation states either within IGOs
or directly
Political global governance
There are 3 main ways in which states can work together in political global governance
Which approach is used? - depends on the nature of the issue and the motivations of the states
involved in tackling this issue
1. IGOs
These organisations provide permanent and formal rules-based framework in which states can
negotiate and form agreements
Most IGOs are intergovernmental in the sense that nation-states negotiate and agree upon their
decisions
Only in regional organisations (EU) are supranational powers found, meaning that this IGO can
force states to do things they might not agree with
2. International treaties
Means of creating international law more flexibly on specific issues
Either within or independent of IGOs
Between two (bilateral treaties) or more (multilateral treaties)
3. Ad hoc meetings
States can meet in informal meetings and undertake negotiations and agreements on a more ad
hoc basis
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