- •Focus on world politics
- •«Focus on World Politics»
- •2. What is global politics?
- •Increased interdependence and interconnectedness
- •5. Globalisation and its implications
- •2. Economic nationalism
- •3. Economic internationalism
- •2. The international and internal
- •2. The changing nature of world power
- •3. Post-cold war global order.
- •4. A multipolar global order. The rise of multipolarity
- •2. From ‘old’ wars to ‘new’ wars
- •3. Justifying war
- •2. Arms control and anti-proliferation strategies
- •2. Rise of new terrorism
- •3. Countering terrorism
- •1. The nature of human rights
- •3. Implications of human rights for global politics
- •4. Protecting human rights
- •5. Rise of humanitarian intervention
- •6. Humanitarian intervention and the ‘new world order’
- •1. Rise of international organization
- •3. The growth of igOs
- •4. Reasons for growth
- •1. The origins and evolution of the european union
- •2. The government of europe: a prototype
- •3. The future of the eu
- •In addition to its nearly universal membership, the United Nations is also a multipurpose organization. As Article 1 of the United Nations Charter states, its objectives are to:
- •1. From the league to the un
- •2. How does the un work
- •3. Future of the un: challenges and reform
- •2. The world bank
- •3. The world trade organization
- •1. Regionalism and its main forms
- •2. Regionalism and globalisation
- •3. Regional integration outside europe
- •2. The diplomatic setting
- •3. Modern diplomacy
2. How does the un work
The Security Council
This is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, and so is responsible for the UN’s role as negotiator, observer, peacekeeper and, ultimately, peace enforcer. The Council has the power to pass legally-binding resolu¬tions, to suspend or expel members, to impose economic sanctions and to take military action to maintain or restore peace and security. The Security Council has 15 members. The Big Five (or P-5) - the USA, Russia, China, the UK and France - are permanent ‘veto powers’, meaning that they can block decisions made by other members of the Council. The other 10 members are non-permanent members elected for two years by the General Assembly, in line with an estab¬lished, if imperfect, regional balance.
The General Assembly
This is the main deliberative organ of the UN, sometimes dubbed the ‘parliament of nations’. The Assembly consists of all members of the UN, each of which has a single vote. The Assembly can debate and pass resolutions on any matter covered by the Charter, and has a specific responsibility to examine and approve the UN’s budget, determine the members’ contributions, and elect, in conjunction with the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General and the judges of the International Court of Justice. Important decisions in the Assembly must be carried by a two- thirds majority, but, crucially, these decisions are recommendations rather than enforceable international law. The Assembly neither has a legislative role nor does it oversee or scrutinize, in any meaningful sense, the Security Council or the Secretariat.
The Secretariat
This services the other principal organs of the UN and administers the programmes and poli¬cies laid down by them. Although its main activities are located in the UN’s headquarters in New York, it has offices all over the world and a total staff of about 40,000. At its head is the Secretary-General, who func-tions as the public face of the UN as well as its chief administrative officer. Appointed by the Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five- year, renewable term, the Secretary-General deals with a multifaceted bureaucracy staffed by civil servants from myriad states and cultures, and tries to maintain the UN’s independence, often in a context of rivalry amongst P-5 states. Nevertheless, Secretaries-General have some capacity to influence the status and policy direction of the organization.
Economic and Social Council
This consists of 54 members elected by the General Assembly. Its chief role is to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN and the UN family of organizations. This involves overseeing the activities of a large number of programmes, funds and specialized agencies. These include the so-called ‘three sisters’ - the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO - and also bodies such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The expansion of the UN’s economic and social institutions occurred largely along functionalist lines, bodies being created or further developed as specific economic and social problems emerged.