International Justice
Multilateral
"Many-sided"; joining in with others so that everyone can help each other; idealistic approach
Unilateral
"One-sided"; going it on your own; realist approach
Rogue regimes
"Outlaw nations"; a country that is a bad international citizen; refuses to play well with neighbors and actively creates trouble and instability on an international scale; state governments support terrorist groups (examples: Iran and North Korea)
Other sources of international law besides treaties
(1) Custom (2) General principles of law (3) International legal decisions (4) International law scholarship
Four basic steps of International Agreements
(1) Identification of needs and goals (2) Negotiation (3) Adoption and Signature (4) Ratification
Types of treaties
(1) Technical (2) Political (3) Economic
Goals of Foreign Policy in General
(1) What is the goal of its relations with each and any other country? (2) What are the means it should use to achieve that goal?
Monetary policy
(1) control of the money supply by a semi-autonomous central bank (2) separate (at least partially) from politics and current government influences (3) regulating national currency and managing interest rates Example: "The Fed"
UN Millennium Development Goals
(1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (2) achieve universal primary education (3) promote gender equality and empower women (4) reduce child morality (5) improve maternal health (6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, etc. (7) ensure environmental sustainability (8) develop a global partnership for development
Fiscal policy
(1) how the government chooses to spend your tax dollars (2) budget, passed by the legislature, approved by the executive (3) military, infrastructure, administrative branch
Basic Human Rights Building Blocks
(1) physiological needs (2) safety (3) belongingness
Goals of the United Nations
(1) to prevent war and to secure peace (2) to help realize everyone's human rights (3) to serve as a symbol of our common and evolving humanity (4) to aid in the development of the Global South (5) etc.
GDP
(C) consumer spending (I) business investment (G) government spending (X) exports (M) imports
Treaty
A contractual deal between countries; a promise to do something, and countries make such promises with the expectation of benefit
Territorial integrity
A country has the right to some livable territory and is considered the general "owner" of all the natural resources on, under, or above its land
Emerging powrr
A country whose economic and/or military stature is increasing, perhaps even to the point of rising from one category to the next (example: China, India, Pakistan, Germany
Charter of the United Nations
A global multilateral treaty; drafted in 1945; founded the United Nations and detailed its branches and how they should work
Hyperinflation
A rapid and unpredictable increase in prices, which can destabilize the economy
The European Union
A regional, multilateral organization centered in Europe and held together with an amazing array of treaties, organizations, and increasing shared beliefs and practices; made up of 27 countries and 23 languages; only 16 have a common currency and central bank;
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
AKA The Hague in the Netherlands; hears cases brought to it voluntarily, and issues judgements with no enforcement power
National security
About strengthening the nation and providing protection for it, and this is done mainly with a strong and capable military force; interchangeable with "national defense" to realists. Requires: (1) a huge and smart, healthy, and productive population (2) a pro-business culture (3) increasing opportunities for companies to grow and trade abroad Realistic approach
Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
America wants free access to Canada's (small) market and especially to its abundant natural resources, like food, water, natural gas, timber, and metals and minerals
Containment strategy
An attempt to handle and control an outlaw country by fencing them in, to minimize the damage they can do
Inflation
An increase in the price of goods and services within a country; high rate of this is associated with economic growth; "cost of living" increases
Treaty
Any instrument between two or more states in writing; the principle mechanisms for creating binding rules of international law
Human security
Applies to a different, much broader, more inclusive group of people; what makes people secure is having resources and opportunities to pursue the things they want. Focuses on: (1) healthcare spending (2) education spending (3) growing a healthy economy to provide for and support these programs Idealistic approach
Middle powers
Are Northern/Western, developed, and quite wealthy societies, but they lack the population size, military force, cultural impact, and ambition to become Great powers (examples: Canada, Australia, an Sweden); try to be active and good "international citizens"; tend to be like-minded and mutually supportive, unlike great powers, which are often rivals and tend to butt heads on a range of issues
Technical treaties
Basic minutiae regarding practical issues that everyone can agree on for mutual benefit; communication networks such as the telephone and radio, how luggage is handled on international flights, how mail gets transported across borders, etc.; precise, targeted, and detailed treaties; of little political controversy
Hard power
Boils down to "bucks and bullets"; economic wealth and military capability
Third wave of development
Bottom-up pluralism; combination of NGOs, governments, UN agencies and remittances targeting specific areas at a local level (ex: education, farming, healthcare, business)
Convention for the Elimination and Discrimination Against All Women
CEDAW; the biggest and most important global treaty addressing the human rights of women; the second most ratified rights treaty in the world; the US has never ratified it
Small powers
Can either be developed or developing, in either North or South, and they only have a small degree of impact on international decision making and global life (examples: Czech Republic, Chile, Caribbean islands)
International law
Comprises all the agreements and undertakings that different peoples or nations make between themselves, presumably for mutual benefit
Foreign policy
Concerns the way one's country does or should relate to other countries, and their national governments, around the world
Domestic policy
Concerns the way one's national community is or should be governed
The League of Nations
Consisted of a council made up of five permanent members and four rotating members, and an International Court of Justice; opposed in the US because Republicans did not want to commit the US to an organization that would make the US a safeguard for European politics, at the the expense of US interests
Power
Countries are often categorized on this basis; in general terms is the ability of a country to get what it wants
Con of second wave of development
Created debt for developing countries to developed countries (back to neo-colonialism), did NOT stop corruption
Deflation
Decreases in the price of goods and services, associated with recessions
Trade embargos
Examples of sweeping sanctions; the refusal to trade at all with any past or present person of the target country; cause more harm to the punishing countries than to the target countries by thus decreasing wealth and income
The United Nations
Founded in 1945 in San Francisco, CA; created in the shadow of WWII; headquarters is in NYC, and has regional offices all over the world
Continuum of International Power
Great Powers Middle Powers Small powers Rogue regimes Failed states
Policy
Greek word "polis" meaning "community"; can be understood as how a community should be run
GDP
Gross domestic product; the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country in one year
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Guaranteed the territorial integrity and political sovereignty of member states of the League of Nations; authorized the League to take "any action to safeguard the peace"; allowed for economic and military sanctions
International Criminal Court (ICC)
Hears cases involving war crimes under the Treaty of Rome in 1998
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICCPR; supported by the capitalist West; first generation rights (right to life and security; right to hold private property, right to freedom, right to political participation)
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ICESCR; supported by the communist East; second generation Rights (right to material substance, right to education, right to basic healthcare, right to form a Union)
Sanctions
Impose them as a way of "stepping it up a notch" in terms of the hostility and displeasure you are willing to show in your relations with another country; we will deliberately move towards negative punishment
Ambassador
In charge of representing the interests of his or her home country in the host country
Economic incentives
Involve the use of money as either a carrot (positive incentive) or a stick (negative incentive) in a effort to gain leverage on another country and influence them to do what you want
Pro of First Wave of Development
Knowledge and technology transfer; large scale infrastructure projects; some success, like Germany and Japan
The League of Nations
Led by Woodrow Wilson in 1919; was the first major attempt at an international organization devoted to ensure peace and international cooperation; Wilson attached the Covenant of the League to the Treaty of Versailles
The European Union
Like the United Nations, it was a response to WWII, but targeted specifically for Europe; European nations have been at war with each other for a large majority of their existence; although it started out as a voluntary organization, it is now a form of government that has enforceable provisions particularly regarding economics
Sweeping sanctions
Measures of punishment and non-cooperation that either deliberately target or at least directly affect the majority of citizens in the target country
Targeted sanctions
Measures of punishment, non-cooperation, and interest-thwarting that are aimed at hurting only the elite decision makers in the target country
Con of first wave of development
Military transfers, tied aid, corruption, and neo-colonial dependency
Pros of second wave of development
More laissez faire opportunity, allowed MCNs to enter, curbed inflation, created strong business, property and anti corruption laws
Political treaties
Much more controversial and contentious treaties; have deeper implications for how a society runs itself; harder to negotiate; human rights, war and peace, borders, and refugees
Declining powers
Nations whose impact and stature on the world stage is diminishing (examples: Russia, possibly America)
International non-governmental organizations (NGO's)
Not created by national governments but, rather, by private individuals or interest groups trying to improve international life in some specific way (examples: International Red Cross, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders)
Unconstrained maximization
Of your own pleasure, benefit, and interest; you must always put your own interests at the forefront in a very obvious, unconcealed, aggressive way; this attitude actually decreases the ability of these countries to get what they want Realistic approach
Embassy
Official residence of a country's ambassador; considered part of the soil of the home country, not the country in which it is located
Failed state
One in which a government exists, but it can no longer effectively govern its people or provide for their basic needs (examples: Somalia, Lybia, Syria)
Woodrow Wilson
One of history's biggest international idealists; the League of Nations was his pet project; the first President to travel abroad in an official capacity when he went to Paris to help orchestrate the Treaty of Versailles which ended WWI
Two core principles of international law
Political sovereignty and territorial integrity
United Nations Environmental Programme
Primarily works out of the Nairobi, Kenya regional office of the UN
Fixed
Prior to 1971, the US dollar was tied to the "gold standard"
Soft power
Refers to one's ability to get others to think the way one does
International cases and scholarship
Scholarship on international law is persuasive rather than binding, but can reflect the larger trends and expectations of the world, and can eventually translate into custom or natural law
Consulate
Smaller diplomatic offices
Custom
Source of international law; habitual practices of states that is done in such a way under the belief that it is required by law and accepted by the States (example: immunity to foreign diplomats and the laws of the sea, which regulate shipping across oceans and such)
International cases and scholarship
Source of international law; international cases, brought through international courts, that form a sense of precedent that countries should follow; decisions are mostly unenforceable, but are part of a larger framework that countries must follow
General principles of law
Source of international law; refers to the most elemental rules contained in national or domestic legal systems the world over (examples: rules against theft and murder, Iraq invading Kuwait to steal its oil and land was a violation of international law)
Second wave of development
Structural adjustment programs; cut back government subsidies to allow businesses to grow without impediment; introducing more laissez faire policies
The General Assembly (GA)
Structure in the UN; like a legislative branch, where all member nations have a vote and participate; like Congress, it controls the budget and States' contributions
The Security Council (SC)
Structure in the UN; not inclusive; includes 15 members that need 9 vote majority; 5 permanent members (US, Great Britain, China, Russia, and France); votes on peacekeeping missions
The Secretariat
Structure in the UN; the semi-executive branch, run by the Secretary-General; this is the figurehead of the UN, who has limited powers to direct the Security Council and GA
Pros of third wave of development
Subscribed to the idea that the people know best, not the government as a thing; micro-finance and capabilities approach
Diplomacy
The attempt to persuade another country to adopt your view and act accordingly; might involve talking, negotiating, lobbying, dealing, rational argument, or positive political incentives; Winston Churchill categorized it as "jaw jaw"
Constrained maximization
The best foreign policy attitude wherein one's motives are still fundamentally selfish, but one hides one's selfishness behind a policy of negotiation, compromise, and reasonableness; "honey attracts more flies than vinegar" Idealistic approach
Inter-governmental organizations (IGO's)
The creations of national governments designed to help coordinate behavior and solve common problems facing modern governments (from trade disputes to cross-border organized crime) (example: the United Nations)
Floating
The current standard for the US dollar; Based on their value relative to other world currencies and to world demand, not on the possession of any kind of hard asset, such as gold
The United Nations
The most ambitious attempt to create something akin to a world government; it is NOT a government, but a non-binding, voluntary assembly of States, powerful only because nations agree to be bound by it; replaced the League of Nations
Political sovereignty
The right of a group of people to rule themselves
Realism
The view that the objective of a country's foreign policy should be to advance its own nation's interests; a form of national egoism and selfishness; the motto is "look out for number one"
Idealism
The view that your goal as a country, when dealing with others, ought to be to do your part to make the world a better place; form of national altruism and unselfishness; prominent thinkers such as this include US President Woodrow Wilson
Great powers
Those countries with the richest economies AND the largest armed forces (examples: the US, Britain, China, France and Russia)
National interests
Those things that benefit or enhance the position of a country; they boil down to the ingredients of hard and soft power
Goal of international law
To order relations between nation-states through rational, predictable, and mutually beneficial rules of conduct
First wave of development
Top-Down; direct investment by developed nations into developing nations, government-to-government; "trickle-down" effect, allowing local governments to make decisions on how best to help their peoples; example: The Marshall Plan
Economic/commercial treaties
Treaties such as trade agreements; are in between in terms of controversy; are contentious because they can have implications for how a government collects taxes, and what kinds of goods can be sold to its people; common sense and rationality tend to win the day, easier to show a country that they stand to make some money (example: Canada-US Free Trade Agreement)
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Type of treaty binding on Canada, the US, and Mexico; established in 1994; created a trade block for the three countries; eliminated restrictive tariffs between the nations; has been most beneficial for Mexico
International Postal Union
Type of treaty formed in 1874, now maintained by the U.N.; one of the oldest international bodies; located in Bern, Switzerland; 192 member nations; coordinated a wide range of postal services, such as international postal holidays, standardization of fees for international postage, and acceptance of sending nation's postage
Universal Declaration on Human Rights
UDHR; viewed as the most inspiring and influential human rights document, but has no legal weight
United Nations Developmental Programme
UNDP; most recent generation of rights claims; Third generation and environmental rights (right to clean air, right to drinkable water, right to environmental protections, right to thicker forms of socioeconomic equality)
Members of the UNSC
United States, Great Britain, China, Russia, and France
Ratified
When a treaty has been turned into a law in a country
Armed force
When all other tools of foreign policy fail, countries sometimes resort to violent force in their relations with each other; can be small-scale "show of force" or out-and-out direct shooting war
Recent examples of sweeping sanctions
When the US and UK leveled sanctions at Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990