Major Participants in the International Community

Chapter 10

The Players

• Individuals• Sovereign States• International Organizations

– International Government Organizations– Non Governmental Organizations– Transnational Groups– Multinational Corporations

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

• NATO• WTO• OAS• Arab League• OPEC• (EU Supranational Organization, not really

an IGO like the others—only one of its kind)

International Economic

Organizations

The World Bank• Lends money to poorer countries in the

developing world• Often makes interest-free or low interest

loans to states that are unable to borrow money in internaional makets

The International Monetary Fund

• Regulates the global monetary system• Goal is to avoid severe fluctuations in the value of a country’s currency

The World Trade Organization• A multilateral treaty on the rules of world trade – goods

as well as services• Regulates tariffs and trade barriers• Limits the ability of countries to subsidize sectors of their

economy• Has a mechanism for resolving trade disputes• Promotes free trade and economic globalization

Criticisms of the WTO

• Businesses have too much influence – large corporations push the WTO to implement rules that benefit them

• Officials aren’t democratically elected• Country’s safety standards and environmental

regulations are often viewed as trade barriers – should the WTO have the power to get states to change their laws?

• Free trade tends to benefit developed countries over developing ones

Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs):

• Not controlled by governments• Private organizations that “relieve

suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development”

Amnesty International

• Works to promote and safeguard human rights– Campaigns against the death penalty– Against the torture and abuse of prisoners

Doctors Without Borders

• The world’s largest independent medical relief NGO– Mission it to deliver health care to people who

need it, no matter where they live

Transnational Groups

• Not controlled by governments, but act in specific areas for a certain cause:– Catholic Church– Al Qaeda– International Communism

Multinational Corporations

• General Motors• Mitsubishi• Microsoft • Ford• Xerox• Exxon• Coke

How should we view organizations?

• The realist reaction -- organisations are irrelevant-- they may have some influence but only states have real power

• The functionalist argument-- organisations grow because they are necessary

• Liberal institutionalism--organizations are the best way to structure the international system

Which view do you feel is most accurate?

Institutionalism in the future - global governance

• The are a significant number of international organizations in our modern world

• Global governance refers to the impact and interactions of all of these organizations

What is the impact of international organization on the sovereignty of the state?

Are we moving towards global governance or is the world still dominated by individual sovereign states?