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IGOs and NGOs: complete summary of book
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International OrganizationsWeek 1, pagina 1-14
A theory is a set of generalized principles that have descriptive , explanatory, and predictive value.
Theoretical frameworks are based on organizing assumptions that simplify the world and guide
analysis. In many respects, theoretical frameworks are quite similar to worldviews (sets of widely
held beliefs). Another way to think about theoretical frameworks is to envision them as a pair of
glasses whose different lenses allow us to view the distinct political, economic and social
characteristics and processes that shape world politics.
Traditionally, international organizations have been conceived as formal institutions whose members
are states. IGO’s may have universal membership whereby all states are allowed to join. IGOs may
also have limited membership in that participation is restricted by some objective criteria.
An international regime is defined as “sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules and decision-
making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given issue area”.
Realism:
World politics center sovereign states seeking power and exercising power against each other.
Anarchy is defined as the absence of a higher authority or world government. With no world
government, no referee exists to settle disputes or prevent war. States, therefore, must seek power
because it is through power that states can maximize their interests and guarantee their security
under the condition of anarchy. According to proponents of hegemonic stability theory, world order
is established by a single, dominant power that creates and administers international organizations.
Most realists are very pessimistic about the independent role of international organizations in
fostering cooperation among sovereign states. Rather, it is the hegemon’s power reflected in
international cooperation.
Liberalism:
Liberals maintain a strong belief in the value of the individual, the idea of limited government, the
market, and the rule of law. They point out that much of international relations is based on the
peaceful exchange of goods, services, and ideas among societies. Liberals argue that nonstate actors,
such as MNCs and IGOs, are also important actors in international relations. Liberals see international
organizations in two ways. Some see international organizations as the early institutions – precursos
– of world government. Others see international organizations as mechanisms that assists
governments in overcoming collective-action problems and help them to settle conflicts and
problems peacefully.
Marxism:
For Marxists, capitalism is the defining feature of the international system. Capitalism is a way of
producing goods that is based on four attributes: private property, profit motive, wage labor, and a
free market. Capitalists seek to maximize profits in a competitive global manner. This creates winners
and losers. International relations for Marxists are conflictual because capitalism is based on
exploitation.
Feminism:
The feminist approach is organized around several assumptions. First, gender matters. Second,
, international regimes are conflictual. Third, patriarchy is the main feature of the international
system. Fourth, the hierarchy of contemporary international issues is ordered on the basis of
masculine preferences, marginalizing feminine issues. The feminist approach also explores NGOs in
considerable detail because they are, arguably, more feminine in nature and empower women to
take more control over their lives.
Constructivism:
Constructivism rests on the notion that reality or interest is socially constructed. Values and ideas are
created by human beings who are shaped by their social ties and identities. Moreover, those values
and ideas change over time as human beings learn more information. Constructivists, therefore, do
not seek to explain the world how it is but how the world is what we make it.
Week 2, pagina 15-35, 51-54
Most contemporary scholars point to the Congress of Vienna (1815-1822) as the earliest modern
precedent to today’s IGO.
League of Nations:
The first global IGO with universal membership (1919-1939). It’s based on three important principles
that have since been incorporated by its successor, the UN. First, the League of Nations embraced
the idea of collective security where international security is directly tied to the security of member
states. Second, the League established as a norm the peaceful settlement of disputes through such
nonviolent measures as mediation, negotiation, arbitration, and adjudication. Third, the League was
founded to foster international cooperation in the economic and social realms.
United Nations:
Created in 1945. Its central purposes are: to maintain international peace and security; to develop
friendly relations among nations; to address economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems;
and to promote respect for universal human rights. Its ambitions and challenges: first, the UN suffers
from resource difficulties. Second, the UN has had enormous difficulties in protecting its personnel.
Third, the UN has suffered from a lack of state leadership.
The Organization of Islamic Conference:
The OIC was created in 1969 by 24 Islamic states to safeguard the well-being of their peoples and of
Muslims in general. Challenges: the OIC is not a regional organization. It represents not only
geographical diversity but also political diversity. National income among members is unevenly
dispersed.
Realisms and the nature of international organizations
Anarchy does not mean chaos. Realists tend to classify states in terms of this hierarchy as super,
great, middle, or lesser powers. One type of power distribution is a unipolar, hegemonic system in
which a single powerful state controls and dominates lesser states in the system. As the power of the
hegemon declines, so does its support for the international organizations it has created. The diffusion
of the hegemon’s power also emboldens those who stand to benefit from a change in the status quo.
These states will challenge existing institutions and norms, and ultimately seek to overthrow the
existing order. Realists also recognize that international organizations can be formed without the
benefit of a hegemon or world leader.
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