International Organizations (IO's) are the manifest institutions within the international political system (IPS). To think of IO's though as the end-all and be-all of of IPS study is a fatal mistake not just for research but also for the practical applications of political science and international relations. The phenomenon of a political system be it internal/national or external/international is both composed of matter and form. This way of viewing the political world can be attributed to Aristotle cf. Cohen (2002) and Miller (2011) who applied his medical metaphysics to politics.
These matter and form of the international political system are 1) international principles, customs, and protocol, and 2) international institutions respectively. As social power allows a persons to exert his or her will in any given environment even in the presence of an opposed will, then both matter and form help shape how this power is exercised. Let's say for example a particular international actor wants higher income from their foreign trade by lessening the economic barriers such tariffs and quotas on their goods. Such actor will have to resort to two possible institutions: one will be an IO with an economic mandate (whether it be global or regional), another institution can be an international legal instrument such a bilateral or multilateral treaty regulating trade.
To view the system only through this lens incapacitates international actors. The second aspect must be considered to provide a holistic view if one means to come up with a truly practical foreign policy. There exists possible international principles, customs and protocol that will have an impact on any international actor's agenda. If institutions constitute the "form" (since they are structured), then principles, customs, and protocol compose the "matter" of the system. "Formal" international laws, the codified treaties and charters are actual "forms", principles, customs, and protocol are non-codified, hence they are material rather than formal. Unwritten and unpublished they may be, these matters of the international system can confine political action, sometimes manifesting a force even stronger than law.
The Principle of Par in parem non habet imperium (trans "an equal has no power over an equal) elucidates the idea of non-intervention and external sovereignty of states. Human Rights, on the other hand, are values that IO's incorporate into practice by codifying them in order to promote a new set of principles in the relations among states.
For your class output, each student of IPS must post a comment providing 2-4 "matters" in the international political system, and provide a short application for each (e.g. how does such matter shape the exercise of power in the international political system?). Some of these can be found from your readings. Incorporate research to supplement this task and enrich your post. Do not forget to use appropriate source citations.
Sources:
Cohen, M. (2002). Aristotle on Substance, Matter
and Form. Retrieved 2012, from Washington University:
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/zeta17.htm#text1
Miller, F. (2011). Aristotle's Political Theory.
Retrieved 2012, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-politics/
Photo Credit:
Rlineurope. (2012). Flying Buttress Ceiling in Mont. St. Michel. Retrieved 2012, from Travelpod: http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?start=281&num=10&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=4Ur&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1600&bih=742&tbm=isch&tbnid=S1P1xFpnj7NqQM:&imgrefurl=http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/slideshow-photo/flying-buttress-celing-in-mont-st-
Photo Credit:
Rlineurope. (2012). Flying Buttress Ceiling in Mont. St. Michel. Retrieved 2012, from Travelpod: http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?start=281&num=10&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=4Ur&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1600&bih=742&tbm=isch&tbnid=S1P1xFpnj7NqQM:&imgrefurl=http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/slideshow-photo/flying-buttress-celing-in-mont-st-
1. Peace Building is required to stop conflicts from getting worse. The UN created an intergovernmental institution called the PBC(Peace Building Commission)which supports countries after a conflict its role is to bring the following parties that are at odds to negotiate a ceasefire which will further lead to a peace treaty, next they will appeal from the international community for help by requesting other countries and international institutions to donate relief goods and they will also ask them to deploy troops to keep the peace,they will then discuss strategies and policies for the recovery of a country ravaged by war and finally they will fill in the gaps that can undermine the peace treaty.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.un.org/en/peacebuilding/
In the study of international politics, there are different protocols that are made due to the realization of a threat that poses to affect if not all but most of the countries concerned. The first example of these protocols is the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is mainly concerned with the environment focusing on the emission of Green House Gases (GHG) Through this protocol countries must limit the emission of GHG especially the industrial countries. A second example of another protocol is the protocol by the United Nations against human trafficking. This is to address the need of preventing all kind of human trafficking especially women and children. In the Kyoto Protocol, there is a threat to the environment and on the meeting in Kyoto, Japan they have decided to suppress the emission because of their concern for our environment. The concern was sustainability of our environment for future generations. In the second example the protocol on human trafficking although there are laws on human trafficking in different countries there is no one unified preventive measure for it. These protocols by the UN shape the international arena through compliance of the countries through this protocols.
ReplyDelete-http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
-http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/protocoltraffic.htm
The United Nations is an international organization which has the aim of establishing a deeper connection between different states in order for them to stand side by side to provide economic development, human development, world peace, and the like for the member-states. Some of its principles/programs include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
ReplyDeleteThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets up a common standard of achievement for the people and nations, which has the role in promoting the rights and freedom of every individual. Such principle asks the people to do their part in order to achieve the development of the member-states, without having the fear that their rights might be stepped upon by the others. The member-states should strictly comply to this principle in order for them to secure their position as a member-state, which shifts the power from the individual states to the United Nations as a whole, having a capability to manipulate the actions of its member-states.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been a tool for the organization to act as a model for different states and engage in partnerships in order to preserve and attain environmental sustainability. Among its documents include the Rio Declaration, which is a statement of 27 principles upon which nations agreed to base their actions in dealing with environmental and development issues and the Agenda 21, which had provided an overview on what key factors may have a huge impact in attaining environmental sustainability and what it must do in order to achieve such. That particular program used the power gained by the United Nations in order for other countries to follow its path in attaining a healthier and wealthier environment.
Bibliography
United Nations Global Compact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2013, from United Nations Global Compact Web site: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/aboutthegc/thetenprinciples/environment.html
United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2013, from United Nations Web site: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
International Organizations can contribute to the needs of people and nations worldwide.
ReplyDeleteIn dealing with the problems around the world there are different international organizations in order to improve the status of one country like for example world bank it is an international financial institution that provides a loan to the developing country and third world country in providing on capital programs issue. The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty and to promote foreign investment, international trade, and facilitate capital investment.
While other international organizations like Commonwealth of Nations it is also normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly called as the British Commonwealth it is an intergovernmental organisation of 54 independent member states. these countries have their same goal and it incudes the following the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace. This is an intergovernmental organization in which countries have its same goal which is to be diverse in social, political and economic backgrounds must be equal in status.
*http://www.worldbank.org/
*http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/