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How can world order be maintained in the international arena?
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What are the functions and constraints of international governmental organizations?
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Is the United States of America (U.S.A.) the only leader in the world?
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If you surrender, you can minimize the casualties of your country!
Lead-in activity: Through analysing the contents of the comics, students may understand the various reasons that cause international conflicts.
We will never surrender. We will never give up our country’s resources!
You store weapons that endanger the world. Our country must take action for the sake of the world!
Your religious group has repeatedly challenged our religious group’s bottom line.
We cannot stand it anymore! Our leader has planned to carry out armed resistance!
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1. According to the above sources, why do international conflicts occur?
Source Scope Reasons causing conflicts
1
Economic factors
Two countries attack each other in order to compete for oil resources.
2
Religious factors
Different religions and religious groups are intolerant of each other which result in conflicts.
3
Political factors
A country has weapons endangering the world and other countries attack that country for the sake of world peace.
2. If you are the head of a weak country, what will you do if your country is about to be attacked by a great power? Please list three solutions.
Solution 1: Squarely resist the attack and resort to arms.
Solution 2: Seek help from other countries and form alliances with them so as to jointly fight against the great power.
Solution 3: Negotiate with the great power and solve the conflicts peacefully by means of negotiation.
(Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.)
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3. For the solutions mentioned in the answers of Q.2, which one do you think is the most ideal one?
Please explain your answer.
Solution 1: It means our country will never surrender, and through actions, tell the world that we are not to be invaded arbitrarily.
Solution 2: It can enhance the power of the country to fight against the great power and have greater chance to win.
Solution 3: It can solve the problems peacefully and minimize the casualties without a waste of human power and money.
(All reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable. Teachers can further ask the students about the limitations of each solution and the assumptions behind.)
4. In the real life, if the above situations do happen, can you name some international organizations which can help the weak countries to solve the problems? Please list an international organization and briefly explain its functions.
The United Nations. It aims to maintain world peace and safety, and to enhance the relationships between countries. (Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.)
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If there is no powerful organization to mediate disputes between countries and maintain world peace and stability, conflicts will easily occur as there is an imbalance of power between different countries.
Without a global government, each country has to make international agreements with every other country individually in order to solve the conflicts between each other. Under such a situation, it is difficult for different countries to communicate with each other, thus conflicts may arise easily and world order will also be destroyed as well.
After World War I, European countries established an international organization, namely, the League of Nations, to maintain world peace and stability and reduce the number of weapons each country possessed. However, it was not supported by the U.S.A. and lacked the power to enforce resolutions, leading to its limited influences as well as its failure to prevent the occurrence of World War II. Thus, different countries in the world decided to set up a new international political organization to maintain the order of the world after World War II. This was how the United Nations (UN) was established at that time.
Through studying the following information, students can understand the organization and structure of the UN, the functions and characteristics of its Security Council.
In May 2010, a poison gas attack happened in a girls’ school in
Kunduz, a province in the north Afghanistan. Altogether 28 female students were poisoned and were unconscious after the attack. The
Afghan officials suspected that the attack was planned by the Taliban since it used to not allow females to attend schools. The Taliban had not responded to the accusation yet. There were already three attacks happened in Kunduz in May which were all deliberate poisoning incidents against girls’ schools. The UN has kicked off an investigation into the incidents and will adopt measures to ensure everyone, boys and girls alike, can enjoy the right to education.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers (2010)
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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) of the UN works with governments to develop and finance programmes and projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty by themselves through low interest loans and grants. Since 1978, IFAD has invested US$13.9 billion in
924 projects and programmes that have reached more than 400 million poor rural people in different countries.
Source: IFAD website, http://www.ifad.org/ (2012)
In 2009, about 67 million school-age children were not in school. Almost half of them (32 million) were in sub-Sahara
Africa and more than a quarter (16 million) were in Southern
Asia. The UN has adopted different measures to ensure that, “by
2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course for primary schooling”, which is one of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Source: UN website, http://www.un.org/ (2012)
On 1 June 2012, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General stated at a press conference in the New York headquarters that over
200 Syrian detainees were released on 31 May in the presence of
UN observers. The Secretary-General has stressed that the international society has to see the release of all detainees being arbitrarily held.
Source: Website of UN News Centre, http://www.un.org/News/ (2012)
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1. Please point out the roles and the functions of the UN in different areas according to Sources
1-4.
Source Area Roles and functions of the UN
1
Human rights and justice
It is against sexual discrimination and tries to ensure everyone, boys and girls alike, can receive education.
2
Economic development
Provides low interest loans and grants to assist rural poor people in different countries to overcome poverty by themselves.
3 Social development
Facilitates different countries to provide universal basic education in order to promote social development.
4 Human rights
Encourages different countries to release all detainees being arbitrarily held in order to improve the human rights conditions.
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Basic information of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945. In 2012, it has 193 Member States. Owing to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the UN can take action on a wide range of issues, and through its organs and committees, provide a forum for its Member
States to express views. The UN has 4 main purposes: 1) to keep peace throughout the world; 2) to develop friendly relations among nations; 3) to help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms; 4) to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.
UN Principal Organs*
*The Trusteeship Council, which was one of the UN principal organs, suspended operation on 1 November 1994.
Source: UN website, http://www.un.org/ (2012)
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Responsibilities:
Members:
Voting system and right to veto:
The Security Council’s major responsibility is to maintain international peace and security. When there is a threat to peace, the
Council may undertake investigation and mediation, issue ceasefire directives that can help prevent an escalation of the conflict, dispatch military observers or a peacekeeping force to help reduce tensions.
Beyond this, the Council may opt for enforcement measures, including economic sanctions, arms embargoes, financial penalties and restrictions, and travel bans; severance of diplomatic relations; blockade; or even collective military action. (The UN, however, does not have military power which restricts its use of force.)
It is composed of 15 members, 5 of them are permanent members and
10 are non-permanent members.
Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions of the
Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of
9 members. Decisions of the Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of 9 members including the concurring votes of the 5 permanent members. In other words, the 5 permanent members enjoy the “right to veto”. If any one of them casts a negative vote in the Council, the resolution or decision would not be adopted.
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5 permanent members
China
France the United Kingdom (UK) the U.S.A.
Russian Federation
10 non-permanent members
Elected for a term of two years by the UN General
Assembly and a retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
(Distribution patterns: 5 from
African and Asian States, 2 from Latin American States, 1 from Eastern European States, and 2 from Western European and other States.)
Source: UN website, http://www.un.org/ (2012)
1. According to Source 5, what is the major responsibility of the Security Council? What are the differences between permanent members and non-permanent members of the Security Council?
The major responsibility of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security.
There are five permanent member states. They do not need to be elected and they can exercise the “right to veto”. There are 10 non-permanent members, and they do not have veto power.
They are elected for a term of two years by the UN General Assembly and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
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2. Is the distribution of power between the permanent members and the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council fair? Why?
It is fair because 10 countries can be the non-permanent members. They are elected for a term of two years and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election. This ensures that more countries can have the opportunity to serve as non-permanent members, and participate in the decision-making in international affairs. As the permanent members own the most important resources and political influences in the world, they are most important and critical to the world.
Thus, they must have the “right to veto” to highlight their status and importance on the international scene.
Or: It is unfair because the permanent members have “veto power”. Even the resolution has obtained enough votes, it cannot be passed if any permanent member exercises its “right to veto”. It shows that the permanent members of the Security Council are more influential.
(Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.)
Will the UN become the tool of developed countries to control developing countries?
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Through the study of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, students can understand the constraints and challenges facing the UN.
Date Event
24 February 2003 France, Germany, and Russian Federation submitted a joint memorandum to the
Security Council which stated:
“…The military option should only be a last resort. So far, the conditions for using force against Iraq have not been fulfilled…”
7 March 2003 (Security Council meeting)
The U.S.A., the UK and Spain tabled a draft resolution on Iraq at the Security
Council which stated:
“Recognizing the threat Iraq’s non-compliance with Council resolutions and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles poses to international peace and security…Decides that Iraq will have failed to take the final opportunity…unless, on or before 17 March 2003, the Council concludes that Iraq has demonstrated full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation in accordance with its disarmament obligations…”
France: As a permanent member of the Council, France would not allow a resolution to pass that authorized the automatic use of force.
China: As long as we stick to the road of political settlement, the goal of destroying Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction could still be achieved.
17 March 2003 Failing to win the necessary support for the draft in the Security Council and amid the threat of a veto by a permanent member, the U.S.A., the UK and Spain announced on 17 March 2003 that they would not put the draft resolution to a vote.
19 March 2003 (Security Council meeting)
UN Secretary-General fully shared the regrets expressed by many Council members at the fact that it had not been possible to reach a common
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position.…Millions of people around the world shared that sense of disappointment, and were deeply alarmed by the prospect of imminent war.
(Address by U.S. President Bush in the evening)
…at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.
26 March 2003 (Security Council meeting)
Expressing regret that diplomacy had failed to resolve the question of Iraq’s disarmament, speakers (other than members of the Council) emphasized that the current war, carried out without Council authorization, was a violation of
16 September
2004 international law and the United Nations Charter. Many stressed they could not understand how the Council could remain silent in the face of the aggression by two of its permanent members against another United Nations Member State.
(UN Secretary-General in an interview)
I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time - without UN approval and much broader support from the international community.
Sources of information: UN website, www.un.org and various news reports.
1. According to Source 1, which permanent members of the Security Council supported military action against Iraq in 2003? Which members were against?
The U.S.A. and the UK supported the action. China, France and Russian Federation were against the action.
2. Could the U.S.A. gain the Security Council’s authorization to initiate military action against
Iraq? Afterwards, how did the U.S.A. follow it up?
The U.S.A. did not gain the authorization of the Security Council. The U.S.A. gave up to gain the authorization of the Security Council. It initiated military action against Iraq with its coalition.
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3. According to Source 1 and what you have learnt, please analyse what are the constraints faced by the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security?
When there is no consensus among members of the Security Council, it cannot act in concert to maintain international peace and security. It cannot stop the unilateral action of strong countries without its authorization. (Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.)
The influences of as well as the constraints and challenges facing the UN and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council include the U.S.A., the UK, France,
Russian Federation and China. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. When there is a threat to peace, the Council may undertake investigation and mediation, issue ceasefire directives that can help prevent an escalation of the conflict, dispatch military observers or a peacekeeping force to help reduce tensions. Beyond this, the Council may opt for enforcement measures, including economic sanctions, arms embargoes, financial penalties and restrictions, and travel bans; severance of diplomatic relations; blockade; or even collective military action. However, the UN does not have military powers, restricting its use of force. The five permanent members of the Security Council have “veto power”. That means to pass a resolution in the Security Council, the five permanent members need to reach consensus. If any permanent member cast a negative vote, the resolution will be vetoed. In addition, there are ten non-permanent members in the Security Council. They are elected for a term of two years by the General Assembly and shall not be immediately eligible for re-election.
While the UN tries to maintain world order and stability, some countries may not be cooperative.
They may deliberately drag on or obstruct the work of the UN, and affect the progress and effectiveness of the work.
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Student can analyse the influences and constraints of the international political organizations through case study.
In 1993, the European Union (EU) was formally established according to the “Treaty on European Union”. The member countries of the EU include France, Germany, Italy and the
Netherlands, etc. There are 27 member countries in the EU as of mid 2012. The structure of the EU has reformed from time to time over the years. Beginning as an organization focusing on economic cooperation in Western Europe, it has now developed into an international organization across Europe that is a unique economic and political partnership.
Source: EU website, http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
The African Union (AU) was established in 2002. It is a political organization that formed by 54 countries (as of mid-2012). The member states include Nigeria, Rwanda, Republic of the Congo and
Angola, etc. The objective of the AU is to promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance, and to promote peace, security and stability of the region, etc.
Source: AU website, www.africa-union.org/
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was established in 1949, is a political and military organization. The objective of the
NATO is to safeguard the security of the member countries through collective security mechanism. The member countries of the NATO include the U.S.A., Canada as well as Eastern and Western European countries. There are 28 member countries as of mid-2012.
Source: NATO website, http://www.nato.int/
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed by five Southeast Asian countries in 1967. They are
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
There are ten member states in the ASEAN as of mid-2012. In addition to the original five member states, there are Brunei,
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The objective of the
ASEAN is to promote regional peace and stability, and to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region, etc. Fundamental principles of
ASEAN include “mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations” and “non-interference in the internal affairs of one another”, etc.
Source: ASEAN website, www.asean.org/
1. According to Source 1, fill in the map with the international organizations of the corresponding regions.
EU
NATO
AU
ASEAN
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2. Why do individual countries join the international political organizations?
They can join forces in respective regions to strengthen the power to maintain peace and stability.
Also, they can share resources to develop their economy, society and culture on cooperative basis.
There were both Armenians and Serbians living in Kosovo. During World War II, the Serbians were largely deported by the Armenians. In 1945 after the war, Kosovo was governed by Yugoslavia. In
1963, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed by six republics including Serbia (the autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo included), Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. In 1974, Yugoslavia established Kosovo autonomous region in Serbia, and it was self-governed by the local Armenians. However, it aroused discontent of the Serbians who thought the ethnic policy implemented in Kosovo was actually discriminating against the Serbians.
In 1989, Serbia had a referendum for revising the constitution in order to minimize the autonomy rights of Kosovo, which aroused discontent of the Armenians. As a result, the Armenians declared the establishment of an independent Republic of Kosovo. In mid-1990s, the Armenian guerillas launched attacks constantly, and the targets were Serbian military and political officials and the facilities in Serbia. In March 1998, the Yugoslav army started to assist the Serbian police to conduct large-scale military actions. They carried out illegal repression and genocide on the Armenian protesters and Kosovo army. Many Armenians lost their homes and became refugees.
On 24 March 1999, for the sake of human rights, the U.S.-led NATO launched the attack on Serbia, and the Kosovo War started. NATO said the aims of the war were to ensure the return of Armenian refugees to Kosovo to rebuild their homes, the security of Armenians in Kosovo, and the maintenance of the peace between Armenians and Serbians.
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After the 78-day war, the Yugoslavia accepted the peace plan proposed by NATO and Russia and agreed to withdraw its troops from Kosovo, then the international force entered and stationed in
Kosovo. Kosovo was then governed by NATO after the war. Afterwards, NATO handed over the jurisdiction to the UN.
After several rounds of civil war, Yugoslavia has been split into seven countries now. Among them,
Kosovo has declared independence from Serbia but it is not recognized by some of the international community.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers (2011)
Kosovo is located in the Balkan Peninsula which is situated in south-eastern Europe. The Balkan and
Asia Minor (where the Turkey is currently located) are separated by the Aegean Sea and Bosporus.
From ancient times, it has been a critical access from Asia to
Europe. When strong countries in the Middle East (e.g. ancient
Persia, Arab and Turkey) wanted to conquer Europe, they had to conquer Balkan first, whereas the European countries (e.g.
Crusades) also had to set Balkan as their outpost if they wanted to attack the Middle East. Therefore, we can see that the Balkan region is very important tactically.
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1. With the information in Source 2, can you fill in the details of the Kosovo war?
The year for the outbreak of the war
1999
The location of the war Serbia
Details of the Kosovo war
The related international political organisation
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Reasons for starting the war
To stop the genocide in Kosovo at that time, to maintain the human right of Armenians, and to ensure the Armenians can return to their homeland.
Outcome The Yugoslavia accepted the peace plan proposed by NATO and Russia, and withdrew from Kosovo, then the international force entered and stationed in Kosovo.
2.
What influences did the NATO have on the “Kosovo event”?
NATO gathered military forces of various countries, and won the battle against the Yugoslavia, let the Armenians return to their homeland and stopped genocide in that region. NATO played an important role in safeguarding the safety in that region which was also good for the peaceful development of the political situation in the world.
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NATO & EU Prolong Anti-Somalia Piracy Plan for Two Years until the end of 2014
Located in Gulf of Aden, Somalia is a critical maritime area which connects Asia and Europe. Because of the continuous conflicts between the local Islamic armed force, tribal militias and warlords, civil wars happens frequently in the area, leading to the difficult life of the people there and pirates roaming the area. In the past few decades, the EU has tried to solve the piracy problems near Somalia, and spent over a hundred million Euros on it; however the problems are still not solved thoroughly.
In recent years, the problem of piracy near Somalia is getting worse. NATO and EU have sent troops to counter piracy. For example, in 2008, the EU launched the vessel escort operations near Somalia, namely,
“the Operation Atalanta”. In 2009, NATO assigned its naval vessels to form a security fleet to escort the vessels of UN to send relief supplies to Somalia, and carried out the anti-piracy operation in the open sea to clamp down on piracy and armed robberies.
Since NATO and EU implemented the anti-piracy operation, there is a dramatic decrease of piracy near Somalia. In 2012, both NATO and EU stated that although the piracy problem near
Somalia has become less threatening, they should still stay vigilant. Therefore, they decided to prolong the operations for 2 years until the end of 2014, and hope that the piracy problem near
Somalia can be solved thoroughly.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers (2012)
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Year
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Total no. of incidents
32
92
217
219
237
75
No. of successful hijackings
12
32
47
49
28
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Source: International Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce, http://www.icc-ccs.org/icc/imb
1. With reference to Sources 3 and 4, answer the following questions. a) Why does the piracy problem get worse in Somalia?
The longstanding civil war and conflicts between different forces ruins the political stability of Somalia. Without effective governance, the piracy problem is getting worse. b) List the anti-piracy measures adopted by the following two international political organizations.
International Political
Organization
Anti-piracy measures
EU
EU launched “Operation Atalanta” to escort the vessels sailing in the seas around Somalia.
NATO
NATO has carried out the anti-piracy operation in the open sea and assigned its naval vessels to form a security fleet to escort the ships of the UN to send relief supplies to Somalia.
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c) Do you think the international political organizations have successfully suppressed the piracy problems near Somalia? Please explain your answer.
Yes. After EU and NATO launched anti-piracy operations in 2008 and 2009 respectively, the total number of piracy incidents near Somalia has dropped continuously. The number of successful hijackings has also been controlled to a low level in 2011 and 2012. It indicated that the operations of international political organizations are successful.
No. After EU and the NATO launched anti-piracy operations in 2008 and 2009 respectively, the total number of piracy incidents remained high, in hundreds or tens. Also, nearly thirty successful hijackings happened in 2011 and 2012. It indicated that the operations of international political organizations are not successful.
(Any reasonable and relevant answers are acceptable.)
Apart from global international political organizations like the UN, different regional international political organizations (e.g. EU, Union of South American Nations and ASEAN) act as platforms for international political negotiation, allowing different countries to discuss on the controversial issues and to reach consensuses or solve the problems through concerted efforts. Through cooperation, different countries can concentrate their political and economic power to compete with other international political organizations. Under globalization, however, these organizations are mutually dependent.
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Countries possess nuclear weapons or that are suspected of possessing nuclear weapons
U.S.A. Carried out its first nuclear test in 1945 and was the first country to have nuclear weapons
Carried out its first nuclear test in 1949 Russian Federation
(originally the Soviet Union)
UK Carried out its first nuclear test in 1952
France
China
India
Pakistan
North Korea
Carried out its first nuclear test in 1960
Carried out its first nuclear test in 1964
Carried out its first nuclear test in 1974
Carried out its first nuclear test in 1998
Israel
Carried out its first nuclear test in 2006 (it was not recognized by
South Korea, the US and Japan)
Suspected to possess nuclear weapons (Israel refuses to acknowledge the possession of nuclear weapons)
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers (2012)
Understand the international relationship by analysing the arms race in Asia
In recent years, many Asian countries are actively expanding their military power. In 2011, India spent US$20 billion on importing high-performance fighter aircrafts from France. Meanwhile, the Philippines carried out military drills with America in April 2012, and planned to spend about US$1 billion on purchasing arms. In 2007-2011, India was the largest importer of major conventional weapons. South Korea ranked second. Pakistan was the third.
China was the fourth and Singapore was the fifth.
The rise of China in military power is mounting tension on the international political situation. To counter the rapid development of China’s military power, Australia has changed its military posture.
The U.S.A. is reinforcing its relationship with Indonesian military force, and continues to strengthen
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its military alliances with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, etc., to enlarge its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Although many Southeast Asian countries are not happy with the expansion of U.S. military power in the region, many of them (e.g. the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, etc.) connive at actions of the
U.S.A.. They want to maintain a good relationship with the U.S.A. and take advantage of U.S. military power in order to strengthen their own.
Source: Summarising the reports of various newspapers (2012)
1. With the information above, list the countries possess or that are believed to possess nuclear weapons.
Developed
Countries
Countries confirmed to have nuclear weapons
Countries suspected to have nuclear weapons the U.S.A., UK and France Israel
Developing
Countries
China, Russian Federation, India,
Pakistan and North Korea
---
2. How does the continuous arms race among the developing countries affect the international relationship?
Individual developing countries are trying to strengthening their military power through purchasing arms. In response, other developing countries and developed countries are doing the same. Thus, their relationship becomes more tense. / The military powers of the developing countries are getting stronger and the developed countries are no longer the only ones that hold strong military power. Hence, a more balanced situation has been achieved.
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It has been reported that the U.S.A. are planning to give away a large amount of surplus military resources to the military forces of central Asian countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan after its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. These resources include main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and air-defense missile systems, etc.
The Russian Federation will be very concerned about this news as it has built military cooperation relationship with these Central Asian countries for years. Certainly, the Russian Federation will be worried about the practice of the U.S.A. in giving away its military resources and expanding its military and political influences among those countries. It will ruin
Russian Federation’s immediate interests in the region.
However, the news has not yet been confirmed by either the U.S.A. or the Central Asian countries.
With reference to Sources 2 and 3, answer questions 1-2.
1. Please list the methods used by the U.S.A. to strengthen its military influence. Explain your answer with example. a) Build alliances with the military forces of other countries, e.g. Japan, the Philippines and
South Korea. b) Giving away its weapons to other countries, e.g. planning to give away its surplus weapons to Central Asian countries after troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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2. With reference to Sources 2-3 as well as what you have learnt, please state the different responses from various countries towards the methods of the U.S.A. in strengthening its military influence in the world.
We are in favor of/ against U.S. actions.
It is because it builds its military influence among our close neighbours, i.e. Southeast Asian countries. It threatens our national defence.
China
We are in favor of/ against U.S. actions.
It is because we can enhance our military power through building an alliance with the U.S.A and carrying out military drills.
We are in favor of/ against U.S. actions.
It is because
The Philippines the U.S.A. is expanding its military presence so as to develop world hegemony. It is a threat to other countries and ruins
Russia our immediate interests.
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3. With reference to Sources 1-3 as well as what you have learnt, please analyse the current interrelationship between developed countries and developing countries.
Although the overall development of some developing countries (e.g. China, India and Russia, etc.) still lags behind the developed countries, they are getting stronger in military and economic power, for example, the possession of nuclear weapons. Thus, the role of some developing countries becomes more important internationally. To a certain extent, they can counterbalance the developed countries. /
Developing and developed countries can be mutually beneficial, for example, the U.S.A. formed military alliance with the Philippines to reinforce its influence in Southeast Asia, and the developing countries also want to enhance their military power with the help from the U.S.A..
Globalization has enhanced the interrelationship between countries and the political interaction between developing and developed countries becomes more and more frequent. For instance, the six-party talks, which aims to find a solution for North Korea’s nuclear programme, involve the
U.S.A., China, South Korea, Japan, Russian Federation and North Korea. The countries focus on discussing a particular issue and solving related problems collectively.
The political organizations constituted by various countries can help bring stability and harmony to the international communities through achieving consensus on various issues, and enhance the economic and political development of different countries. On the other hand, international stability may be affected owing to the arguments stem from conflicts of interest among different countries.
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For instance, the PRC signed the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea” with the ASEAN in 2002 with the aim to stabilize the South China Sea region. However, the region teems with abundant natural resources and is a critical shipping route for many places, therefore, even after signing the declaration, conflicts still frequently arise. Provocative acts have sometimes been triggered and the tension has been heightened.
In the past, international cooperation platforms were established, for example, G8 (consisting of the
UK, the U.S.A., Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Canada and Russian Federation) was formed to provide the countries with opportunities for consultation, creating cohesiveness as well as solving international issues. To enlarge their influences, another 12 major economies* were added to G8 and as a result G20 was formed. The members of G20 account for over 80% of the world’s GDP, which means larger influence on the world and greater contribution to the stability of the global economy.
Within this framework, there are quite a lot of opportunities for cooperation between the developed and developing countries.
The G20 Developing Nations (its members are mainly from the South American countries, China and
India, etc.) was also formed to achieve solidarity among developing countries in order to protect their interests. The organization can ensure that they would not be oppressed by the developed countries and be able to consolidate their bargaining power to fight for their own rights. Some of the member states of G20 overlap with those of G20 Developing Nations, which indicates the complication of international politics. Countries are forming different entities with each other according to their own interests.
* The 12 economies are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and EU.
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World order without a global government
Lack of coordination mechanism or platform
Conflicts will arise easily among the countries
Coordinating the conflicts between countries
Global International Political
Solve international conflicts
UN Security
Council
Opportunities
Organization, e.g., UN
Realization of peace and stability
Regional International Political Organization, e.g., EU and ASEAN
Solve regional
Join forces with other countries and fight for their rights vis-à-vis other organizations conflicts
Opportunities
Challenges
Countries may not follow agreements and the effectiveness of peace treaties is affected
Countries focus on their own interests and result in conflicts and instability
Challenges
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