International Organizations Week 1

Its extremely important that the events of the international relations are analyzed from the international organizations point of view. The United Nations the only real universal organization, since all the states of the world are a part of it (Kosovo and Taiwan are not members) Final paper: 8-10 pages An international organization from Romanias point of view (has to be submitted during the 9th or 10th course) AN international organization is an association of states or an association of non-state actors. The association of states is called IGO Inter Governmental Organization The non-state actors are called NGOs International Non-Governmental Organizations (Green Peace) Today there are over 1000 international organizations. In the 19th century there were less than 10 organizations, before WW2 there were about 30, after 1939 there were over 70, in 1972 there were 500 organizations. In 2001 there already were 1000 organizations. There are over 30.000 NGOs. They are trans-national players. Trans-national = across the borders International = between the governments of the countries The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) a UN convention which gives the following definition: International organizations are an association of states where the participants are the states Why did international organizations appear? In which context? What is the reason explaining their proliferation? There is a tendency to increase the cooperation level. International organizations are anarchic there is no supranational control over the states. Its the classic realist point of view in international relations. All the states are equal and free => the anarchic characteristic Alexander Wendt one of the most famous constructivist authors: Anarchy is what states are made of

Anarchy is dangerous, as it leads to rivalry and conflicts. In the European Union, the anarchy has been domesticated. If the EU goes into a positive direction, then war has been completely eliminated from the relations between the states. One of the main reasons why international relations appeared preventing violent conflicts or at least solve them peacefully. The UN has been created in 1945 to avoid the repetition of the world wars. Some radical authors think that in the future there will be an international state a world government, a federation of the world. In the Greek Antiquity the leagues and associations were created before the Peloponnesian war. Modern states have first appeared in Europe in the 15th-16th Europe. The modern states began to be created during the 19th century. The first international organizations: 1815 The Central Comission of the navigation on Rhine (it appeared in order to cease accidents) 1856 European Comission of the Danube The International Postal Organization Up to the First World War, the organizations were very technical. After WWI, humans have discovered the necessity of avoiding the repetition of such a war. WWI has destroyed the supremacy of Europe in the International relations. Europe had returned the colonies, while the US and Soviet Union, Japan and China began to rise. Some historians consider WWI as a civil war inside Europe. The inter-war period is very well-known for the existence of the League of Nations. It was the first organization to attempt to prevent war and create a real universal organization which had all the states. Unfortunately, the US never became a member of the LoN, which led to its decay. It is less known that in the inter-war period there were 2 technical organizations: ILO (International Labor Organization) and the ICAN (International Commission of Aerial Navigation). After WWII, the main even has been the creation of the UN, the successful replica of the League of Nation. Its the most legitimate organization, as all the states want to become a member of the UN, therefore a part of the international community.

In the inter-war period, they have created the so-called Permanent Court of International Justice, now called International Court of Justice. United Nations organizations are very important and also have subsidiary bodies: UNCTAD, IAAE UN began as a mechanism to prevent war, but now its a mechanism dealing with all the security issues. There was also a proliferation of organizations at regional levels: The NATO, the former Warsaw Treaty, The African Union, ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Countries), Arab League, Organization of Islamic Conference. The causes of the apparition of international organizations: 1. To prevent wars among countries (nowadays mankind has more powerful weapons of mass destruction. It is very important to avoid war, as it would be really devastating) It is important for the human species to invent ways of collaboration. In the middle of the 17th century, a French named Emeric Cruse proposed to create an international organization based on trade. Afterwards, Kant proposed a republican federation which would bring peace. He considered that republics bringing democracy will also bring peace. There were many attempts before the League of Nations) 2. The inter-dependence of the nations The technological development, industrial revolution had created a necessity for states to work together. The contacts between nations are permanent and the nations themselves are inter-dependent. The International Union of the Telegraph, The International Union of RadioTelegraphy the main fields in which inter-dependence are obvious: trade, financial relations, transfer of technology, fighting against pollution, the regional development. 3. The emergence of global issues It is a consequence of the increase of population. Under development and poverty are typical for countries with an uncontrollable demographic state. The Northern hemisphere is richer than the southern one, which leads to discrepancies. It is a global issue which has to be dealt with in a collaboration between states. Other issues: the cosmic space, the seas

The roles of the international organizations in the contemporary societies: 1. States are sovereign, but organizations are not, as they were created by the states. 2. Trans-national Corporations (they have private interests, not state interests) can be stronger than some states and can shape the legal framework of theirs. Sometimes small states have to ensure legal changes due to these organizations 3. Terrorists = Illegal trans-national players. They managed to change the international policies and security measures The main idea behind international organizations -> Compromise International organizations are based on the principle of voluntary cooperation. Nobody can constrain a state to become the member of an organization. Concerning the effectiveness of the organization, it depends from case to case. The UN is criticized by some people and praised by others. The UN is the main provider of peace keeping, but is not very effective in other issues (they cannot intervene in Syria. There is a lot of corruption and irrational spending of money). NATO is not effective in relation to Russia (Moldavia, Georgia, Ukraine are controlled by Russia and NATO does not intervene). If you study the doctrine of the international law, it is obvious that most authors talk about the association of states. Fitzmaurice said that International relations are an association of states based on a treaty, having a constitution and common bodies and owning a legal body which is distinct from that of the member states". The definition relies on 1969s Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties (it is bound to be respected only by the countries that had signed it) and 1986s Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations. Article 2 of 1969s Vienna Convention said that international organizations are intergovernmental organizations only belonging to states. They defined the organization as based on a treaty, having common goals and special bodies. The actors must be states. The second constituting element is the Agreement of the Will it means that the states must express openly their will to be members. The Agreement of Will takes the form of a treaty. The name of this treaty will be different according to the organization. Some organizations use the name Charter, others say Status, Pact, Convention. They all mean the multi-lateral treaty that lies at the foundation of the organization.

When a state signs a multi-lateral treaty, then it agrees to be bound of some rules. It will have certain treaties and rights. The third constitutive element is the existence of common goals such as human rights protection, financial cooperation, peace keeping, development, transfer of technology, etc. Van Creveld, professor at the Hebrew University, stated that Iran should have the atomic bomb and legitimately use it for self-defense. The fourth constitutive element is the structure. It must have composing bodies. They need an executive body and a parliamentary body. In the UN, the Security Council is the executive. The General Assembly is the weaker, legislative power. Every organization should have a permanent bureaucracy and administration. The fifth constitutive element all the international organizations must respect the international law. The sixth constitutive element international organizations need to have their own budget and control their resources. Another differentiation must be made between international organizations and trans-national corporations: trans-national corporations (TNS) play at a domestic level they must obey to the laws of the countries they work in. International organizations operate at international level. Trans-national societies must operate within both the laws of the mother country and the laws of the international law. They are first a domestic actor and then an international one. The legal body (personalitatea juridica) the organizations will have rights and duties and they can sue states or they can sue private people or other organizations. They can also be subjects of legal processes. Classification of international organizations and criteria: 1. The composition of the organizations: organizations which have a regional character and organizations which have a universal vocation 2. The heterogeneous character international organizations are composed by states which are very different one from the other. From the point of view of the United Nations, the states are all equal. In reality, they have different social and economic statuses. 3. Regional organizations are founded on a geographical contingency. The regional organizations have an advantage over the international organizations they are much more homogenous (it is much easier for states to relate to each other and collaborate). Read the Vienna treaty of 1986 - DEBATE