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Global Governance - Coggle Diagram
Global Governance
Political GG
The UN:
- the conflict and suffering of WW2 provoked the establishment of the UN as a way of developing a more liberal approach to resolving global crises
- the Charter of the UN (1945) lays down the main priorities of the UN:
- the maintenance of global peace and security.
- the encouragement of closer relations between nation-states.
- greater respect for human rights and international law.
- the global encouragement of social and economic wellbeing.
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
- The ECOSOC coordinates the UN's commitment to economic, social, and environmental development.
- The GA elected 54 nation-states which make up the ECOSOC, member states sit for 3-year terms.
- seats on the ECOSOC are allocated to favor representation from the developing world.
- ECOSOC is designed to provide the developing world with greater influence over how development is carried out.
- the work of UN agencies such as the WHO, UNHCR, and WFP is monitored by the ECOSOC
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UN Security Council (UNSC):
- The UNSC wields the most influence in issues to do with the conflict.
- there are 15 members of the SC. The most important are the 5 permanent members, they each hold a veto (the US, Russia, China, the UK, and France).
- there are also 10 non-veto-wielding members. These are elected by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for a 2-year term.
- The SC is so important because the Charter of the UN provides it with the key executive role in maintaining global peace and security.
- in these circumstances legally binding SC resolutions can authorize the establishment of peacekeeping missions and impose sanctions on nation-states
- in 2019, there were 16 UN peacekeeping missions operational. These include Kosovo, Afghanistan, Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali.
UNSC, Cont:
- in rare circumstances the SC can sanction military force against a member state which has committed an act of aggression against another member state.
- in 1950, Chapter 7 was used to justify military action against North Korea for invading South Korea.
- in 1991, it was also used to legitimize the first Gulf War when Iraqi forces were expelled from Kuwait by a US-led UN force.
- critics of the SC argue that the permanent 5 are too often ready to prioritize realist self-interest, so undermining the liberal good intentions of the UN Charter.
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The Internation Court of Justice (ICJ):
- the ICJ was established in 1945 and is the judicial arm of the UN.
- it arbitrates between member states and non-state actors can request that the ICJ provides advisory opinions on contentious issues.
- the ICJ can be seen as a liberal organ of global governance trying to establish global respect for the rule of law.
- in order to be successful it's necessary that nation-states accept the judgments of the ICJ
- nation-states generally put national self-interest first and so will often be unwilling to accept the judgment of the ICJ if it's against their interest.
Examples:
Successes:
- in 2013, Thailand accepted an ICJ judgment that the disputed Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia and that Thai troops would have to be withdrawn from it.
Failures:
- in 2019, the ICJ ruled that the British control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean is Illegal. However, the UK government responded that the decision was only advisory and that possession of the Chagos Islands was vital to Britain's defense.
UN General Assembly (UNGA):
- All member states of the UN are equally represented on the GA, meaning each nation-state possesses the same influence.
- The GA decides on the allocation of the UN budget and appoints the Secretary-General.
- The GA's main function is to represent world opinion.
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Economic GG
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International Monertary Fund (IMF):
- works closely with the UN ECOSOC to ensure global financial secuirty, it does this in 3 ways:
- Surveillance - the IMF monitors econmic policies of member states and will warn them if they belive their policies are likely to jeapordise growth and risk damaging their economies.
- Lending - the IMF acts as a lender of last resort, these loans help stabilise the currency and restore global confidence in a nation-state, enabling it to recover.
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The Significance of the Bretton Woods Conference, 1944:
- The WB and IMF were established toward the end of WW2 at the BWC.
- The WB and IMF would establish a system of global economic governance that would encourage development and ensure financial stability.
- The IMF would maintain financial exchange rate stability and provide temporary loans to member states suffering from a balance-of-payments crisis.
- The WB would provide long-term loans to nation-states trying to rebuild it after WW2.
- both the IMF and WB are associated with neoclassical theories of economic development.
The Significance of the Bretton Woods Conference, 1944, Cont:
- the focus of the IMF and WB has changed since their establishment, the WB focuses more on supporting economic growth in the developing world.
- Since the 1970s, the IMF are unable to maintain global fixed exchange rates. But, still provides emergency loans to nation-states facing bankruptcy, and both remain committed to encouraging economic growth through the adoption of the free-market and free-trade reforms.
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Environmental GG
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The meaning and significance of sustainable development:
- The principle that development today must not be allowed to damage the environment for future generations irreparably.
- The concept comes from the report of the Brudtland Commission, 'Our Common future (1987), and it is at the heart of the work of the IPCC and the UNFCCC.
- The importance of sustainability was recognized further in 2015 when the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, 2015-2030.
- Sustainable development means that development can't be measured in economic terms only, instead it must consider the likely impact of what governments and individuals do today on the future of the planet.
The meaning and significance of sustainable development:
- It's difficult to achieve sustainability because the consequences of how we act now will only be felt in the future.
- As a result, governments and individuals can often choose to concentrate on their immediate well-being and so ignore the potential long-term impact on the global commons
The role and significance of the UNFCCC:
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was drawn up in 1992 and presented at the Earth Summit at Ria de Janeiro.
- The UNFCCC states that nation-states must 'stabilize' carbon emissions so they don't irreparably damage the environment.
- To achieve this the UNFCCC sets up annual Conferences of the Parties (COP) where nation-states come together to negotiate ways of reducing human-driven climate change.
- At the Marrakesh Summit (2018), the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action was established, this recognizes the importance of non-state actors in reducing carbon emissions.
- The Secretariat of the UNFCCC provides detailed research on various strategies which can be deployed to reduce carbon emissions.
The role and significance of the UNFCCC, Cont:
- The UNFCCC also monitors the carbon-reduction strategies of nation-states and the extent to which they fulfill the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions agreed at the Paris Agreement (2015).
- 197 nation-states have signed the UNFCCC, so although it has no binding power, it has considerable international legitimacy.
- According to the UNFCCC, carbon emissions should be reduced according to 'differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities'.
- This is controversial because it has hitherto placed the most responsibility for cutting greenhouse gases on developed nation-states.
- The difficulty of ensuring a fair and impartial reduction in carbon emissions that doesn't unjustly impact the economic development of nation-states is a major challenge for the UNFCCC
Competing views about how to tackle environmental issues:
- Deep green ecology provides a radical approach to the environment based upon the philosophical principle that human beings are part of the ecosystem and so have a duty not to harm what sustains them and all life.
- Shallow green ecology is reformed and is based on the practical proposition that the consequences of climate change will be harmful to human beings and so the problem needs to be addressed. It's, therefore, more practical and idealistic than deep green ecology
The role and significance of the IPCC:
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established in 1988. It's important as it provides detailed, scientific, and impartial research on the way the climate is changing and what the impact of this is now and likely to be in the future.
- In 2018 the IPCC issued a stark warning that on current projections, temperature rise in the 21st century is likely to be closer to 3 degrees than the 1.5 degrees nation-states agreed to work on together at the Paris Agreement in 2015.
The meanings and significance of the tragedy of the commons:
- The concept of the tragedy of the commons was developed in the 1830s by the economist Forster-Loyd (1794-1852), who noted that the common land of England was being exhausted.
- This was because individuals were overgrazing the land to benefit themselves in the short term rather than considering the long-term impact on the good of the community.
- In 1968, Hardin (1915-2003) used the term 'tragedy of the commons' to explain how mankind's greed was depleting the resources of the global commons.
- Since nation-states were putting their immediate interests above those of the collective good of humanity, the result would be the exhaustion of the planet.
- As a result, according to Hardin, 'freedom in a commons brings ruin to all'.
The meanings and significance of the tragedy of the commons:
- The principle of the tragedy of the commons is fundamental in explaining why it is so difficult to achieve progress on climate change.
- Because of this, they are unprepared to take necessary action to limit consumption since they will face an immediate and immeasurable loss.
- Nation-states have often been unwilling to commit to drastically lowering their carbon emissions at climate change conferences because other nation-states may choose to do less.
- As a result, if nation-states do dramatically cut their carbon emissions, they lose put in the immediate short term because other nation-states fail to act.
The challenge of Climate Change:
- Rising global temperatures will increase the likelihood of drought, makes some parts of the planet unhabitable, threaten resources and food security, and encourage extreme weather events.
- They will also lead to a rise in sea levels, which is already threatening the existence of islands in the Pacific.
- The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is lobbying hard at UN climate change conferences for more action to reduce temperature increases because the impact of climate change is threatening their national existence.
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