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Summary lectures International Organisations
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Summary of all the lectures of International Organisations year 1.
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International Organisations(Tuesday 25 oct 13:00 exam in the Broodfabriek/ tue 10 jan 9:00 retake)
format = multiple choice
lecture 1 monday (5th sept)
course material:
1. readings
2. lectures
3. online additional material
4. items discussed on discussion board
the PowerPoint slides will be put on blackboard/bright space after each session
International Organisations, what are they?
- secular gods
- Frankenstein monsters
- a symbol of imperial internationalism
- a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time (trump ;))
The organizations are
● The United Nations
● The World Trade Organisation
● The International Monetary Fund
● The World Bank
● The European Union
● The International Organization for Migration
● The Un High Commission for Refugees
● The International Criminal Court
● The International Court of Justice
● The International Labor Organisation
● The Organisation of American States
● The African Union
● The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
International Organisations, why do they exist and why do we need them?
IOs NGOs (non-governmental organisations)
- established by states\ - established by non-state actors
- (usually) based on inter-state treaty - "common purpose ̈
- regional or international - local, national or transnational
examples: examples:
UN, IMF, World Food Programme, NATO, EU, Human Rights Watch, DRC, Coalition for the
ECOWAS International Criminal Court
beside formal IOs, there are also informal IOs -> they don t have the same structure in the
mandate that they have
,IOs are a specific class of international institutions
search the definition of institution on the blackboard!
IOs definition
1. at least 3 member states
2. formal rules and procedures
3. regular state meetings (once a year counts)
4. Bureaucracy
5. Headquarters -> somewhere an office
6. Formal treaty base
categorisations
1) Membership
● universal: every state can become a member (UN)
● Limited: only some states can become a member (EU)
2) Competence
● comprehensive / general purpose: IO deals with many different issues and topics
(UN)
● limited / issue-specific: IO focuses on a specific theme (WTO)
3) Function
● rule-making organisation: makes policy and sets rules (UN)
● operational organisation: executes policy (IAEA)
4) Decision-making authority
● intergovernmental: decision taken by all member states based on horizontal authority
-> pooled sovereignty
● supranational: decision taken by organisational body designated by member states
based on vertical authority (technically one is better than the other and decision
moves up ^)
clearly defined roles with the highest level of leadership at the top
-> delegated sovereignty
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/horizontal-vs-vertical-organizatio
nal-structure
Three forces of IOs in world politics
(Hurd 2020)
obligation
direct, states sign up when they become
member (on paper)
indirect, already member and suddenly
new agreements that arise at a later point
, compliance
explicit, more rare than implicit, sanctions
are clear and are followed through
implicit, they create a environment where
the rules and lines are vague
enforcement
direct
indirect
Obligations
Any examination of the powers and problems of international organizations must begin with
the written rules of the treaties.
The IO´s above were all founded by inter-state treaties.
(het is heel belangrijk om deze obligations (verplichtingen en regels) serieus te nemen en te
bekijken voor het critizeren want vaak verwacht men meer terwijl international organizations
bepaalde regels hebben waar ze zich aan moeten houden waarin ze dus eigenlijk beter niet
kunnen uitwijken, want dit is de macht die ze hebben gekregen en niet meer)
Any assessment of how well an IO is doing its job needs to begin with a realistic
understanding of what that job actually is and what other forces are working to help or
impede it.\
Compliance
(the action or fact of complying with a wish or command.)
An understanding of the legal obligations of states lets us then consider how well states comply
with those obligations as well as why, when, and what effects are violating them.
“Compliance” or “violation”
There are 2 moments where state consent is explicit in and around IO’s:
1. At the moment of joining
2. The point where states see the opportunity to follow or to violate its rules
When governments are operating on international political terrain that has been shaped by IO’s,
where the effects are structural and constitutive and thus inescapable. -> no choice!!
Enforcement (handhaving)
Normally a very indirect threat of punishment for their violations -> as example the loss of
reputation
But why do states listen and follow the rules when there are no direct punishments? It may be
that states feel highly committed to the idea of the rule of law.
Or because they think other states won’t do bussiness with them when they have reneged on
commitments in the past.
Sovereignty and consent
, State sovereignty is defined by the legal and normative framework that constitutes states as the
final authority over their territory and the people within it.
Sovereignty is an international institution in the broadest sense of the word “institution”: it is a set
of rules that organizes social and political practice. (not a formal organization)
The rules of international law of organizations will always be subordinate to the rights of states.
State consent is the crucial element that brings international obligations into existence.
(there are some exeptions: UN charter; page 9 ian hurd)
Three views on the role
IOs as Actors
legally: IGOs are independent entities with legal personality
- ICJ opinion 1949 on Reparations for Injuries
- ICC statute: the court shall have international legal personality. ART 4(1)
politically: independen actorness through social recognition
- collective actors that are able to do what its constituent parts are unable to do on
their own
- empirically evident through practices of influencing word politics
physical forum/arena for debate and negotiation
- exchange of interest and information
- policy making
-> states as relevant actors
IOs as tools
IGOs as tools in the hands of their member states pursue their own personal interests
examples:
❖ SC and US invasion in Iraq 2003
❖ IMF
❖ INternational Court of Justice
summary
1. definitions and concepts: what are IOs
2. categorizations of IOs: core characteristics
3. three forces of IOs in world politics
4. three views on the role of IOs in world politics
Lecture 2 friday (9th sept)
1) IR theories´ view on IOs
- (neo-)realism
- (neoliberal) institutionalism
- liberalism
- constructivism
many different theories, all theories that question the approach of analytical
theories
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