Global Governance in International Relations explained

Summary

This script explores the concept of global governance and interdependence, highlighting key international organizations like the United Nations, NATO, WTO, and the EU. It discusses their roles in maintaining peace, security, and economic cooperation, as well as the challenges of enforcing international law. The script also touches on treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Paris Agreement, questioning the effectiveness of global governance and its influence on state behavior, all within the context of international relations theory.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Global interdependence is a political concept where nations rely on each other and have shared interests or impacts.
• 🏛️ Global governance is the system of rules and institutions that facilitate cooperation between countries smoothly.
• 🕊️ The United Nations (UN) was established post-WWII to promote peace, human rights, and development, forming a backbone of global governance.
• 📜 The UN Charter outlines principles for international cooperation, emphasizing the avoidance of war and the promotion of human rights and social progress.
• 🔒 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed to provide collective security among member countries, emphasizing mutual defense through Article 5.
• 💼 The World Trade Organization (WTO) was established to guide free trade and reduce trade barriers, including a dispute resolution mechanism.
• 🇪🇺 The European Union (EU) has more power over its member states than some other IGOs, with the ability to make binding decisions on policies like the single market.
• 📝 International treaties, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Paris Agreement, form part of global governance and international law.
• 🚫 The effectiveness of global governance is questioned due to the lack of binding enforcement on states, relying instead on cooperation and potential sanctions for non-compliance.
• 🤝 The theory of liberalism in international relations emphasizes the importance of interdependence and cooperation between states for mutual benefit.
• 🔎 Realists, however, might argue that states still primarily act in their own interests, even when participating in international agreements.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of global governance?

The main purpose of global governance is to create a system of rules and customs that enable cooperation between states to happen smoothly, addressing issues such as security, human rights, and development.

What was the United Nations formed after and what are its main objectives?

The United Nations was formed after the Second World War with the aim of preserving global security, upholding human rights, and fostering global development.

What are the central principles of the UN as stated in the UN Charter?

The central principles of the UN Charter include saving generations from war, reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, establishing conditions for justice and respect for international law, and promoting social progress and better standards of life.

What is the role of the UN Security Council in global governance?

The UN Security Council plays a crucial role in global governance by forming the basis of international law through its resolutions, which help diplomatically resolve state differences without war.

What is NATO and why was it formed?

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was formed after the Second World War as a response to the growing bipolar world. It aims to provide collective security among its member countries, with the understanding that they are stronger together against outside threats.

What does Article 5 of NATO state and when was it invoked?

Article 5 of NATO states that if any one member nation is attacked, all NATO members are pledged to come to its defense. It has only been invoked once, in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

What is the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its purpose?

The WTO was established to guide free trade between states, reduce barriers such as tariffs, and has a dispute resolution mechanism to mediate trade disagreements, thus fostering economic interdependence.

How does the European Union differ from other international organizations in terms of power over its member states?

The European Union operates somewhat as a supranational organization, with the power to make rules that member states must follow, such as policies regarding the single market or border controls, indicating a higher degree of integration compared to other IGOs.

What is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its main goal?

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, signed in 1970, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, ensuring that states without nuclear weapons remain non-nuclear and that nuclear power stays with the states that already possess it.

What is the Paris Agreement and its primary objective?

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, aims to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable forms of energy.

How do international treaties and organizations like the UN influence state behavior without formal enforcement mechanisms?

While decisions made by organizations like the UN may not be binding, states often comply due to the desire to cooperate with the global community and the potential for sanctions or other repercussions from non-compliance.

What are the contrasting views of liberals and realists on the effectiveness of global governance?

Liberals view global governance as crucial for states to be connected and work together for the common good, while realists may downplay its effectiveness, arguing that states primarily act in their own interests, even when part of international agreements.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Global Governance and International Organizations

This paragraph introduces the concept of interdependence in global politics and the role of global governance in facilitating cooperation among nations. It highlights the United Nations (UN) as a key player in this system, established post-World War II to prevent conflicts and promote human rights and development. The UN Charter is mentioned as a foundational document outlining the principles of international law and cooperation. The paragraph also discusses NATO, another significant organization for collective security, and emphasizes the importance of Article 5, which ensures mutual defense among member states. The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the European Union (EU) are also mentioned as crucial for economic cooperation and supranational governance, respectively.

05:01

📜 International Treaties and Global Governance

The second paragraph delves into the importance of international treaties in shaping global governance and interdependence. It discusses the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, and acknowledges the challenges of ensuring compliance, with some states developing nuclear capabilities despite the treaty. The Paris Agreement on climate change is also highlighted, with its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to sustainable energy. The paragraph raises questions about the effectiveness of global governance, given that many international agreements lack binding enforcement mechanisms. It concludes by pondering the incentives for countries to adhere to these global norms and the balance between state sovereignty and international cooperation.

Keywords

💡Interdependence

Interdependence refers to the condition where entities rely on each other for various needs or interests. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as a key aspect of global politics, where countries are mutually reliant and have shared interests, impacting each other's actions and decisions. The video script discusses this concept in relation to global governance and the role of international organizations in fostering cooperation among states.

💡Global Governance

Global governance is the set of systems and institutions that create rules and customs to enable smooth cooperation among countries. The video script emphasizes the importance of global governance in maintaining international order and facilitating cooperation, as exemplified by the establishment and functions of international organizations like the United Nations and NATO.

💡United Nations (UN)

The United Nations is an international organization formed after World War II with the aim of preserving global security, upholding human rights, and fostering global development. The UN Charter, as mentioned in the script, outlines the principles and goals of the organization, which serves as a foundation for international law and cooperation.

💡NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

NATO is a collective security alliance formed after World War II to counterbalance the Soviet Union and its allies. The script highlights NATO's role in interdependence among member countries, who rely on each other for security and have agreed to mutual defense under Article 5, which was invoked in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

💡World Trade Organization (WTO)

The WTO is an international organization established to guide free trade between states and reduce trade barriers such as tariffs. The script mentions the WTO's role in promoting economic interdependence by facilitating trade agreements and providing a dispute resolution mechanism for trade-related conflicts.

💡European Union (EU)

The EU is described in the script as a supranational organization with more direct influence over its member states compared to other international organizations. It has the power to make rules that member states must follow, such as policies on the single market and border controls, which can sometimes infringe on state sovereignty, as illustrated by the case of Brexit.

💡International Law

International law comprises the rules and treaties that govern relations between nations. The script discusses how international organizations like the UN and treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty contribute to the body of international law, shaping global governance and cooperation.

💡Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, signed in 1970, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure that nuclear technology remains with states that already possess it. The script points out that while most states have adhered to the treaty, some, like India, Pakistan, and North Korea, have developed nuclear weapons, sparking debates about the effectiveness of the treaty and global power dynamics.

💡Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, is an international treaty aimed at combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner energy sources. The script notes that while 191 countries have signed the agreement, the extent to which nations meet their targets, especially the largest emitters and economies, remains a challenge.

💡Sovereignty

Sovereignty is the authority of a state to govern itself without interference from outside sources. The script discusses how international treaties and organizations can affect state sovereignty, as seen in the case of the EU's influence over member states and the debate over the balance between global cooperation and national autonomy.

💡Liberalism

Liberalism, in the context of international relations theory, is the belief that states should be interconnected and cooperate for the common good. The script contrasts liberalism with realism, suggesting that while liberals champion global governance and interdependence, realists argue that states ultimately act in their own interests, even within the framework of international agreements.

Highlights

Interdependence in global politics is characterized by mutual reliance and shared interests among actors.

Global governance consists of systems and institutions that facilitate cooperation through established rules and customs.

The United Nations (UN) was formed post-World War II to diplomatically resolve state differences and avoid war.

The UN Charter outlines central principles including global security, human rights, and international law.

The UN Security Council and its resolutions form the basis of much international law.

NATO, formed in response to the Cold War, emphasizes collective security among member countries.

Article 5 of NATO ensures mutual defense support among members in the event of an attack.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) promotes free trade and reduces trade barriers like tariffs.

The European Union (EU) has more power over member states, influencing policies like the single market.

The EU requires member states to adhere to decisions made by the European Parliament.

Treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty aim to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

The Paris Agreement of 2016 focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable energy.

International organizations like the UN make decisions that are not always binding, leaving room for state sovereignty.

Compliance with global governance systems is influenced by the desire to cooperate and potential sanctions for non-compliance.

The effectiveness of global governance is questioned due to the lack of formal enforcement mechanisms.

Liberalism in international relations theory supports the idea of interconnected states working for the common good.

Realism downplays global governance, suggesting states primarily act in their own interests despite agreements.

The incentives for countries to follow global governance customs include benefits from cooperation and avoiding sanctions.

Transcripts

we see interdependence in global

politics when actors have mutual

reliance on one another have shared

interests or some sort of impact on each

other and global governance is the

collection of systems and institutions

that create the rules and customs that

enable this cooperation to happen

smoothly

let's start here by looking at some of

the international organizations or igos

that established this global governance

system in the first place and the biggie

as you probably already know is the

united nations the united nations was

formed after the second world war where

the victorious powers got together and

thought about creating a system where

diplomatically states would be able to

resolve their differences without having

to go to war and so the united nations

was established with the aim of

preserving global security but also

upholding human rights and fostering

global development we can see some of

these central principles of the un

enshrined in the un charter we the

peoples of the united nations determined

to save succeeding generations from the

scourge of war which twice in our

lifetime has brought untold sorrow to

mankind and to reaffirm faith in

fundamental human rights in the dignity

and worth of the human person in the

equal rights of men and women and of

nations large and small and to establish

conditions under which justice and

respect for the obligations arising from

the treaties and other sources of

international law can be maintained and

to promote

social progress and better standards of

life in larger freedom right so the un

charter aims to really clearly define

that all states should be working

together to achieve these lofty goals

and so a lot of the work the un does

especially through the un security

council and u.n security council

resolutions forms the

basis of international law

around the world and so as a major

backbone of the global governance system

in the world today another major global

governance organization and one that

aims to provide collective security is

nato or the north atlantic treaty

organization this one was also formed

after the second world war and this one

as a response to the growing bipolar

world of the soviet union and its

satellite states and the united states

and its allies in the western hemisphere

around the atlantic which is why the

organization is called the north

atlantic treaty organization right and

it's not the north american treaty

organization a lot of people seem to get

that wrong so don't be that person right

and with this one we see interdependence

because all these member countries in

nato have realized that by having the

security alliance they're stronger

together against outside threats and

rely on each other to provide the

security an important part of nato is

what's known as article 5 which states

that if any one member nation of nato is

attacked

all of the nato members are pledged to

come to its defense article 5 has only

been invoked one time however and that

was in the wake of the bombing of the

world trade center on september 11 2001

in the united states in terms of

economic cooperation creating that

economic interdependence is the world

trade organization or the wto it was

established in 1995 as the successor to

the general agreement on tariffs and

trade or what was known as gat the wto

guides free trade between states and

aims to reduce barriers to trade such as

tariffs it also has a dispute resolution

mechanism where if states feel like

other states aren't really playing by

the rules

of free trade and their agreements

between them they can take those

disputes to the wto for mediation and

now one international organization that

has a good deal more power over its

member states than some of these others

we've talked about is the european union

now the eu does kind of work as somewhat

of a supernational organization where

states elect members to sit on the

european parliament and the european

parliament does make

rules that member states have to follow

such as policies regarding the eu's

single market or border access and

border controls and unlike decisions

made by some of those other mentioned

igos states are bound by eu decisions

many of these eu member states see this

cooperation as beneficial despite the

infringement on their state sovereignty

but maybe not all states hi great

britain or should we say

bye great britain now in addition to

these intergovernmental organizations or

igos that form this system of global

governance that foster this

interdependence and cooperation between

states we also have a series of treaties

that different states have signed on to

that also help form this body of

international law and global governance

and there's lots of examples to pick

from so let's just focus on a couple

here the first is the nuclear

non-proliferation treaty signed in 1970.

now the ultimate goal with something

like these treaties on nuclear weapons

is nuclear disarmament but this one

specifically looks at making sure that

states that currently do not have

nuclear weapons

continue to not have nuclear weapons and

that nuclear power stays with the states

that have it and since this treaty was

signed most states around the world have

not developed nuclear weapons but

however states like india pakistan and

north korea have been developing nuclear

weapons and others have programs

in operation as well some critics of

something like the nuclear

non-proliferation treaty have stated

that it just helps support the global

balance of power where you have these

limited powerful states and other states

are totally shut out of that power

whereas others would say that well fewer

nuclear weapons in the world is probably

a good thing another example is the

paris agreement signed in 2016 that aims

to tackle climate change and 191

countries have signed on to this

agreement and the ultimate goal with

this one is reducing greenhouse gas

emissions and transitioning to more

clean and sustainable forms of energy

but again to what extent are nations

meeting their targets often the states

that are the biggest emitters or also

the largest economies in the world and

so it's a tricky balance to find between

economic growth and preserving economic

growth and sustainability right so let's

think back to this idea of global

governance more generally all of these

systems and institutions aim to promote

this cooperation and interdependence

between states and try to create

this idea that states should work

together for mutual benefit but a big

question here is to what extent is that

affected at the end of the day most of

these international treaties and most of

these intergovernmental organizations

are igos like the un a lot of the

decisions they make aren't binding and

states still have the sovereignty to

choose

how and when to actually abide by a lot

of these treaties so what compels states

to follow them obviously a lot of

countries just want to play nice because

you know you do something

along with the global community now

which means later on

other states will return the favor and

so there's a little bit of that at play

on the flip side there's also the danger

that going against some of these

treaties

or decisions made by like the un or the

u.n security council

might lead to other states imposing

sanctions on um a belligerent state or

things like that so

while

there's no formal enforcement mechanism

behind a lot of these there are tools in

the global toolbox if you will to ensure

compliance but a big question remains of

how effective global governance is at

all with not very many teeth that

actually enforce much of the

international law that's out there but

again

is it still better than having no

systems at all in place to begin with

and states likely wouldn't agree to much

with more teeth so

maybe a lot of these systems in their

weaker form are and better than not

having anything at all now this whole

idea of interdependence and global

governance is a very important principle

of the international relations theory of

liberalism that champions states being

connected and working together for the

common good of all on the other hand

realists would probably downplay it that

even states that join into these

international agreements or treaties are

still working for their own interests at

the end of the day right so what do you

think what incentives do countries have

in order to play by these global customs

established by this system of global

governance around the world let us know

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