Introduction to Political Science: Online lecture series

International & Regional

Organizations
 International System

Anarchy Institutionalization
 International Organizations
• What is an international organization?
An organization with an international membership,
scope or presence
• Who are members of international organizations?
states and non-state actors – depending on the type of
organization

• What purpose do international organizations serve?

Connecting members, bridging gaps, encouraging peace
and security, economic development, etc.
• International organizations are also called
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
Types of International Organizations
Basics about International Organizations
 History of International Organizations
The Concert of Europe (1815 – 1914)
 European nations
 Resolution of problems.
 WWI (First World War) 1914 –1919
The League of Nations (1920 – 1946)
 US President Woodrow Wilson is called its architect.
 It was the predecessor of UN.
 UN embraced most of the League’s principles and
structures.
 WWII (Second World War) 1939–1945
 United Nations 1945 – to date
 Regional Organizations
• African Union (AU)

• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• European Union (EU)

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (Military)

• Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) –

(Economic).

• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

League of Nations (1920 – 1939)
 League of Nations
 It was the Precursor to the UN
 It was founded as a result of the Paris Peace
Conference.
 It was founded on January 10 1920.
 It formally ceased its operations in April 1946
 It had 58 to 23 members at during the years.
 Its powers and functions were transferred to UN.
 Goals of League of Nations

• Preventing war through collective security,

disarmament
• Settling international disputes through
negotiation and arbitration
• labour conditions,
• just treatment of native inhabitants, human-
trafficking drugs, arms trade, global health,
prisoners of war
 The end of League of Nations
 It failed to prevent aggression by the Axis Powers in
the 1930s.
 Germany withdrew from the League, soon followed by
other aggressive powers.
 The onset of World War II = the League had failed its
primary purpose - to avoid any future world war.

 This led to the formation of a new international

organization more effective than the League.
United Nations
 The United Nations

 Established on June 26, 1945

 Headquarters in New York City

 Members: 193 now

 Composed of multiple organs

 Truly international
UN Agencies
 The United Nations
1. UN provides a forum for nations to settle disputes peacefully
through cooperation rather than conflict.
2. The General Assembly is made up of delegations of 05
representatives from each member nation.
3. The UN Security Council is composed of 15 members, 05
of which are permanent members. It has the authority to
make peacekeeping decisions for the UN.
4. The Secretariat conducts the UN’s day-to-day business
and is headed by the Secretary General, who carries out
the instructions of the Security Council.
 United Nations Security Council
 The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance
of international peace and security.
 15 Members each having 01 vote.
 5 permanent members with veto power and 1 non-permanent
members, elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term.
 Rotating presidency: Its members take turn at holding the presidency
for 1 month.
 It takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace
or act of aggression.
 It can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force
to maintain or restore international peace and security.
 It recommends to the General Assembly the appointment of the
Secretary-General & the admission of new members to the UN.
 Together with the General Assembly, it elects the judges of the
International Court of Justice.
 International Court of Justice
 Located at the Hague in the Netherlands
 Established in June 1945 by the Charter of the UN
 Began work in April 1946.
 A principal judicial organ of the UN
 Settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions
to the UN and its specialized agencies

 Its Statute is an integral part of the UN Charter.

 Although UN has made significant
achievements, many areas need still attention
 Gender inequality persists
 Big gaps exist between:
 The poorest and richest households
 Rural and urban areas
 Climate change and environmental degradation undermine
any progress achieved; poor people suffer the most
 Conflict remains the biggest threat to human development
 Millions of people still live in poverty and hunger, without
access to basic services
The European Union (EU)
EU: Introduction

27
Member States
510 1st
million 1st economy in the world
Combined population

7% 30%
of global GDP
of world’s population 55
Percent of combined worldwide Official Development Assistance
The European Union
 Current EU Countries
Ireland (1973)
Austria (1995)
Italy (1958)
 Belgium (1958)
Latvia (2004)
Bulgaria (2007)
Cyprus (2004) Lithuania (2004)
Croatia (2013) Luxembourg (1958)
Czech Republic (2004) Malta (2004)
Denmark (1973) The Netherlands (1958)
Estonia (2004) Poland (2004)
Finland (1995) Portugal (1986)
France (1958) Slovakia (2004)
Germany (1958) Slovenia (2004)
Greece (1981) Spain (1986)
Hungary (2004) Sweden (1995)
 The European Union
Member States: 27 sovereign and independent states
• The decision-making power
• The EU is in between a fully federal system (ex. US) and an
international organization (ex. UN).
EU Achievements
•A single and unified market for goods and services around the EU.
•Freedom of movement for all EU citizens: Schengen Area.
•The establishment of the euro zone - a single currency shared by 19
Member States of the EU.
•Largest supplier of development and humanitarian aid
programmes in the world.
 Who makes the decision?
Decision-making at EU level involves various European institutions:

• The EU Parliament: represents the EU's

citizens and is directly elected by them
• The European Council: consists of the
Head of State or Government of the EU
Member States
• The council: represents the governments
of the EU Member States

• The EU Commission: represents the

interests of the EU as a whole.
 The Euro
• The euro – Europe's new single currency -
represents the consolidation and culmination of
European economic integration.

• Introduced on January 1, 1999

(ASEAN)

27
 ASEAN: overview
 Association of Southeast Asian Nations
 10 member states
 Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, &
Vietnam
 home to over 650 million people
 combined GDP of US$ 3.11 trillion
 ASEAN is vibrant and growing, offering a future to its
people of increasing prosperity and stability.
 ASEAN

 Founded in 1967
 Bangkok Declaration of 1967:
 To accelerate economic growth
 To promote regional peace and stability
 To contain the spread of communism

 5 founding members:
– Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Philippines
 SAARC
Foundation: Founded on December 08, 1985

Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,

Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined it in 2007
Goals: To promote economic and social progress, cultural
development within the South Asia region
To promote friendship and cooperation with other developing
countries
Headquarter: Kathmandu, Nepal.
Meetings of the heads of the states are usually scheduled
annually while the meetings of foreign secretaries , twice in a
year.
SAARC: Areas of Cooperation
SAARC: Areas of Cooperation (cont.)
Problems (cont.)
 Suggested sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoIafzc0k74

https://asean.org/asean/asean-member-states/

https://www.un.org/en/

http://www.saarc-sec.org/