INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
2013–2014 Update
Tenth 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 together
Rules that govern most interactions in IR
Agreed norms of behavior
Power of international norms and standards of morality
Shared norms and habits may not suffice to solve international
dilemmas
International organizations
NOT THE NORM
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.
International Organizations
Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
Global or regional or bilateral in scope
General or specific functional purposes
Regional IGOs - European Union, Association of South
East Asian Nations, Southern Cone Common Market,
African Union
Global IGOs - UN, Intelsat, OPEC
NGOs - 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
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The UN System
Purpose
Structure of the UN
History
MAKING PROGRESS
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.
The Security Council
Maintains international peace and security
Resolutions
Permanent members
Nonpermanent members
Powers
Proposed changes
COUNCIL OF POWER
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.
Peacekeeping Forces
Borrowed from armies of member states
Peacekeeping missions
Recent missions
Peace building
Observing and peacekeeping
Peacemaking
The Secretariat
Secretary-General
Staff
Purposes
DIPLOMATIC MOVES
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.
The General Assembly
Membership
Sessions
Powers
ASSEMBLY OF EQUALS
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.
UN Programs
Funded 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
HELPING WHERE NEEDED
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.
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 Organization
International 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 agencies
World Bank, International Monetary Fund
World Trade Organization
7.2 The United Nations
Q: 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 Law
No 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
ALL RISE
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.
International Cases in National Courts
Advantages
Limits
7.3 International Law
Q: 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 recognition
Embassies
Diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic pouch
Breaking diplomatic relations
OUT OF REACH
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.
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
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Individual rights vs. Sovereignty
Idea of human rights flies in face of sovereignty
Difficult to reach consensus on what are most
important human rights
Universal vs. relative
Concept of human rights has at least three sources
No globally agreed-upon definition of essential human
rights
Civil-political rights
Economic-social rights
SEA OF RED
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.
Human Rights Institutions
Universal Declaration of Human rights
Seven treaties to further define protections of human
rights
Regional Ios promote protection of human rights
NGOs
Responsibility to protect
War Crimes
Large-scale abuses of human rights often occur during war
Serious violations of this kind are considered war crimes
Norms of legal conduct in war as well as international treaties
Crimes against humanity
International war crimes tribunals
International Criminal Court
Private military forces
Laws of war, POWs, International Committee of the Red Cross
Changing context of laws of war
Rwandan survivor visits memorial on
tenth anniversary of the 1994 genocide.
REMAINS OF WAR CRIMES
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.
International
Criminal Court
Chief 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 Rights
Q: 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?