THE GREAT PLEBEIAN COLLEGE

CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Gen Ed 3 Module
Mhebelyn N. Dizon
8/12/2020

Why is there a need to study the world? Whether you are aware of it or not, you are already a citizen of the world. This module will be your guide. This course introduces students to the
contemporary world by examining the multifaceted phenomenon of globalization. Using the various disciplines of the social sciences, it examines the economic, social, political,
technological, and other transformations that have created an increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of peoples and places around the globe.
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Prepared by:

Mhebelyn N. Dizon
College Instructor

Checked by:

Angelita A. Camba
CTE Coordinator

Approved by:

Federico A. Lopez Sr., Ed.D

CTE Dean, Vice President of Academic Affairs
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MODULE

SUBJECT: The Contemporary World ( Chapters 1-5)

PREPARED BY: Ms. Mhebelyn N. Dizon
College Instructor
REFERENCE/S:

Claudio, L. E., & Abinales, P. N. (2018). The Contemporary World. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 ........... THE STRUCTURES OF GLOBALIZATION

LESSON 3 A History of Global Politics: Creating an International
LESSON 1 What is Globalization? Order

1.1 Definition of Globalization 3.1 Attributes of Today’s Global System

1.2 Globalization vs. Globalism LESSON 4 The United Nations and Contemporary Global
Governance
LESSON 2 Globalization of World Economy
4.1 What is an International Organization?
2.1) International Trading Systems
4.2 The United Nations
2.2) The Bretton Woods System
LESSON 5 A World of Region
2.3) Neoliberalism
5.1 Countries, Regions and Globalization
2.4) The Global Financial Crisis and the Challenges to
Neoliberalism
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THE STRUCTURES
OF GLOBALIZATION
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LESSON 1: GLOBALIZATION, WHAT IS IT?

Globalization

 According to Manfred Steger, Globalization is the process of “the expansion and intensification” of social relations and consciousness across world-time and
across world-space.

Expansion refers to both the creation of new social networks and the multiplication of existing connections that cut across traditional political, economic, cultural
and geographical boundaries. Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching, and acceleration of social relations.

Steger notes that “globalization processes do not occur merely at an objective, material level but they also involve the subjective plane of human consciousness.” In
other words, people begin to feel that the world has become a smaller place and distance has collapsed from thousands of miles to just a mouse-click away. One can
now e-mail a friend in another country and get a reply instantaneously, and as a result, begins to perceive their distance as less consequential.

 Globalization refers to global economic integration of many formerly national economies into one global economy, mainly by free trade and free capital mobility.
It is the effective erasure of national boundaries for economic purposes. (Daly, 1999)
 Integration – The word derives from “integer” meaning, one, complete, or whole. It is the act of combining into one whole.

Globalization versus Globalism: Globalization is the “process” and Globalism is the “ideology”.

GLOBALIZATION represents the many processes that allow for the expansion and intensification of global connections while, GLOBALISM is the widespread belief
among powerful people that the global integration of economic markets is beneficial for everyone, since it spreads democracy and freedom across the world.

TYPES OF GLOBALIZATION – Economic, Political and Socio-cultural Globalization

Economic Globalization – refers to the increasing interdependence of world economies as a result of the growing scale of cross-border trade of commodities and
services, flow of international capital and rapid spread of technologies

Political Globalization – refers to the growth of the worldwide political system, both in size and complexity.

Socio- Cultural Globalization – refers to the transmission of ideas, people, and goods around the world have reached to such an extent that it leads to more
interconnectedness between people of different cultures.
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ACTIVITY 1
1. Make a concept map about Globalization

GLOBALIZATION

2. Go to your room, make an inventory of everything you have in possession (For example: Television, Shoes, Clothes, Books etc.) Organize your inventory into two
categories, first, “things made in the Philippines”, and second, “things made Abroad” and write the brand name and the countries of origin (Made in what country?). (For
example: Phone – Brand: Apple - Made in USA) Determine which country made the most items inside your home.

THINGS MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES THINGS MADE ABROAD

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LESSON 2: THE GLOBALIZATION OF WORLD ECONOMICS (ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION)

International Trading Systems

International Trading Systems are not new. The oldest known international trade route was the Silk Road.

Silk Road – This is a network of pathways in the ancient world that spanned from China to what is now the Middle East and to Europe. It was called such because one of
the most profitable products traded through this network was silk. Traders used the Silk Road regularly from 130 BCE when the Chinese Han Dynasty opened trade to
the West until The Ottoman Empire closed it by 1453 BCE.

However, while the Silk Road was international, it was not truly “global” because it had no ocean routes that could reach the American Continent. According to historians
Dennis O. Flynn and Arturo Giraldez, the age of globalization began when “all important populated continents began to exchange products continuously – both with each
other directly and indirectly via other continents and in values sufficient to generate crucial impacts on all trading partners.”

Flynn and Giraldez trace this back to 1571 with the establishment of the galleon trade that connected Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco in Mexico. This was the first
time that the Americas directly connected to Asian trading routes. For Filipinos, it is crucial to note that economic globalization began on the country’s shores.

Galleon Trade – This is a system of global trade with multiple restrictions during the Age of Mercantilism. From the 16th century to the 18th century, countries, primarily
in Europe, competed with one another to sell more goods as a means to boost their country’s income ( called monetary reserves later on).To defend their products from
competitors who sold goods more cheaply, these regimes (mainly monarchies) imposed high tariffs, forbade colonies to trade with other nations, restricted trade routes,
and subsidized its exports.

God, Gold, and Glory (3G’of Exploration) – used to describe the motives generating the overseas exploration, expansion and conquests that allowed various European
countries to rise to the world power between 1400 and 1750.

Gold Standard - A more open trade system emerged in 1867, when following the lead of the United Kingdom, the United States and other European nations adopted the
gold standard at an international monetary conference in Paris. Broadly, its goal was to create a common system that would allow for more efficient trade and prevent
the isolationism of the mercantilist era. The countries thus established a common basis for currency prices and a fixed exchange rate system – all based on the value of
gold.

The gold standard was still a very restrictive system due to the fact that it compelled countries to back their currencies with fixed gold reserves. During World War 1,
when countries depleted their gold reserves to fund their armies, many were forced to abandon the gold standard.
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Fiat Money as a medium of exchange – When Britain stopped using the gold standard in 1931, the US followed suit in 1933 and abandoned the
remnants of the system in 1973. The gold standard was completely replaced by fiat money, a term to describe currency that is used because of a
government’s order. This system allows governments to freely and actively manage their economies by increasing or decreasing the amount of
“Fiat” comes money in circulation as they see fit.
from Latin and is THE BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM
translated as “it
shall be” or “let it The Bretton Woods System inaugurated in 1944 during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. This system was largely influenced
be done.” by the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes who believed that economic crisis occur not when a country does not have enough money,
but when money is not being spent and thereby, not moving. The active role of governments in managing spending served as an anchor for what we
call “Global Keynesianism”. Delegates at Bretton Woods agreed to create two financial institutions. The first was the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD or World Bank) to be responsible for funding postwar reconstruction projects. The second institution
was the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was to be the global lender of last resort to prevent individual countries from spiraling into
credit crisis. Shortly after Bretton Woods, various countries also committed themselves to further global economic integration through General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947. GATT’s main purpose was to reduce tariffs and other hindrances to free trade.
OAPEC,
(Organization of NEOLIBERALISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Arab Petroleum
Exporting In the early 1970’s, however, the prices of oil rose sharply as a result of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OAPEC)
Countries’) is an imposition of an embargo in response to the decision of the United States and other countries to resupply the Israeli military with the needed arms
organization of during the Yom Kippur War. Arab countries also used the embargo to stabilize their economies and growth. The “oil embargo” affected the Western
Arab member- Economies that were reliant on oil. Matters became worse when the stock markets crashed in 1973- 1974 after the United States stopped linking
countries of the the Dollar to Gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods System. As a result, there is a decline in economic growth and employment (stagnation),
Organization of and it took place alongside sharp increase in prices (inflation) which is a phenomenon called stagflation.
Petroleum The Emergence of Neoliberalism. Economist such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman proposed a new form of economic thinking that
Exporting
challenged Keynesianism. This is called “Neoliberalism”. This is the 20th century resurgence of 19th-century ideas associated with laissez-faire
Countries or
economic liberalism and free market capitalism.
OPEC
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ACTIVITY 2: Short Essay

How did the dictum of 3G’s (God, Gold, Glory) contributed to the Age of Imperialism (widespread colonization)?

LESSON 3: A HISTORY OF GLOBAL POLITICS – CREATING AN INTERNATIONAL ORDER

International Relations

- The study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (bureaucracies, political parties, and
interest groups)

Internationalization

- The deepening of interactions between states

- Refers to the increasing importance of international trade, international relations, treaties, alliances, etc.

Internationalism

- The desire for heightened interaction between various and sovereign states, particularly the desire for greater cooperation and unity among states and people.
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Nation-state

- Another term for country

The Attributes of Today’s Global System

World politics today has four key attributes. First, there are countries or states that are independent and govern themselves. Second, these countries interact with each
other through diplomacy. Third, there are international organizations, like the United Nations, that facilitate interactions. Fourth, beyond simply facilitating meetings
between states, international organizations also take on lives on their own. United Nations, for example, apart from being a meeting ground for the presidents and other
heads of state, also has task-specific agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). [Note that it is “Labour”, not
“Labor”]

Origin of this system

It all starts from having a “country” or what academics also call the nation-state.

A nation-state is composed of two non-interchangeable terms. Not all states are nations and not all nations are states. The nation Scotland, for example, has its own flag
and culture, but still belongs to a state called the United Kingdom.

Difference of Nation and State

State refers to a country and its government. A state has four features

a) Territory – a state must be comprised of land, with known and recognized boundaries

b) Population – the citizens of the state

c) Government – crafts various rules that people follow

d) Sovereignty – the most crucial feature, refers to the internal and external authority of the country

Nation, according to Benedict Anderson, is an “imagined community”. It is limited because it does not go beyond a given “official boundary” and because rights and
responsibilities are mainly the privilege and concern of the citizens of that nation. Calling it “imagined” does not mean that the nation is made-up. Rather, the nation
allows one to feel a connection with a community of people even if he/she will never meet all of them in his/her lifetime. It refers to the “identity” as a citizen of a nation.
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Internationalism

Comes into two broad categories, Liberal Internationalism and Socialist Internationalism

Liberal Internationalism

The first major thinker of liberal internationalism was the late 18th century German Philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant likened states in a global system to people living in
a given territory. If people living together require a government to prevent lawlessness, shouldn't that same principle be applied to states? Without a form of world
government, he argued, the international system would be chaotic. Therefore, states, like citizens of countries, must give up some freedoms and “establish a continuously
growing state consisting of various nations which will ultimately include the nations of the world.” In short, Kant imagined a form of global government. Writing in the
late 18th century as well, British philosopher Jeremy Bentham (who coined the word "international” in 1780), advocated the creation of "international law” that would
govern the inter-state relations. Bentham believed that objective global legislators should aim to propose legislation that would create "the greatest happiness of all
nations taken together."

To many, these proposals for global government and international law seemed to represent challenges to states. Would not a world government, in effect, become
supreme? And would not its laws overwhelm the sovereignty of individual states?

The first thinker to reconcile nationalism with liberal internationalism was the 19th century Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini. Mazzini was both an advocate of the
unification of the various Italian-speaking mini-states and a major critic of the Metternich system. He believed in a Republican government (without kings, queens, and
hereditary succession) and proposed a system of free nations that cooperated with each other to create an international system. For Mazzini, free, independent states
would be the basis of an equally free, cooperative international system. He argued that if the various Italian mini-states could unify, one could scale up the system to
create, for example, a United States of Europe. Mazzini was a nationalist internationalist, who believes that free, unified nation-states should be the basis of global
cooperation.

Mazzini influenced the thinking of United States president (1913-1921) Woodrow Wilson, who became one of the 20th century's most prominent internationalist. Like
Mazzini, Wilson saw nationalism as a prerequisite for internationalism. Because of his faith in nationalism, he forwarded the principle of self-determination---the
belief that the world's nations had a right to a free, and sovereign government. He hoped that these free nations would become democracies, because only by being such
would they be able to build a free system of international relations based on international law and cooperation. Wilson, in short, became the most notable advocate for
the creation of the League of Nations (father organization of United Nations). At the end of World War I in 1918, he pushed to transform the League into a venue for
conciliation and arbitration to prevent another war. For his efforts, Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919.
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The League came into being that same year. Ironically and unfortunately for Wilson, the United States was not able to join the organization due to strong opposition from
the Senate. The League was also unable to hinder another war from breaking out. It was practically helpless to prevent the onset and intensification of World War II. On
one side of the war were the Axis Powers Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, and Hirohito's Japan who were ultra-nationalists that had an instinctive disdain for
internationalism and preferred to violently impose their dominance over other nations. It was in the midst of this war between the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy)
and the Allied Powers (composed of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Holland, and Belgium) that internationalism would be eclipsed.

Despite its failure, the League gave birth to some of the more task-specific international organizations that are still around until today, the most popular of which are the
World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). More importantly, it would serve as the blueprint for future forms of international
cooperation. In this respect, despite its organizational dissolution, the League of Nations' principles survived World War II.

The League was the concretization of the concepts of liberal internationalism. From Kant, it emphasized the need to form common international principles. From
Mazzini, it enshrined the principles of cooperation and respect among nation-states. From Wilson, it called for democracy and self-determination. These ideas would re-
assert themselves in the creation of the United Nations in 1946 (see next lesson).

Socialist Internationalism

One of Mazzini's biggest critics was German socialist philosopher Karl Marx who was also an internationalist, but who differed from the former because he did not
believe in nationalism. He believed that any true form of internationalism should deliberately reject nationalism, which rooted people in domestic concerns instead of
global ones. Instead, Marx placed a premium on economic equality; he did not divide the world into countries, but into classes.

Marx and his co-author, Friedrich Engels, believed that in socialist revolution seeking to overthrow the state and alter the economy, the proletariat "had no nation.”
Hence, their now famous battle cry, "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.” They opposed nationalism because they believed it
prevented the unification of the world's workers. Instead of identifying with other workers, nationalism could make workers in individual countries identify with the
capitalists of their countries. Marx died in 1883, but his followers soon sought to make his vision concrete by establishing their international organization. The Socialist
International (SI) was a union of European socialist and labor parties established in Paris in 1889. Although short lived, the SI's achievements included the declaration
of May 1 as Labor Day and the creation of an International Women's Day. Most importantly, it initiated the successful campaign for an 8-hour workday.

The SI collapsed during World War I as the member parties refused or were unable to join the internationalist efforts to fight for the war. As the SI collapsed, a more
radical version emerged. In the so-called Russian Revolution of 1917, Czar Nicholas II was overthrown and replaced by a revolutionary government led by the
Bolshevik Party and its leader, Vladimir Lenin. This new state was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. Today, parties like this are referred to as
Communist Parties.
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ACTIVITY 3 (20 points)

1. Why is it important to study international relations in dealing with globalization? (5 pts)

2. Compare and Contrast: Internationalization and Globalization? Use Venn Diagram in determining the differences and similarities of the two. (5 pts)
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3) Short essay. What is the relationship between nation and state and why are they closely related? (10 pts)

LESSON 4: THE UNITED NATIONS AND CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

There are many sources of global governance. States sign treaties and form organizations, in the process legislating public international law (international rules that
govern interactions between states as opposed to say, private companies). International non-governmental organizations (NGOs), though not having formal state power,
can lobby individual states to behave in certain way.

What is an International Organization?

When scholars refer to groups like the UN or institutions like the IMF and the World Bank (see Lesson 2), they usually call them international organizations (IOs).
Although international NGOs are sometimes considered as IOs, the term is commonly used to refer to international intergovernmental organizations or groups that are
primarily made up of member states.

One major fallacy about international organizations is that they are merely amalgamations of various state interests. In the 1960s and 1970s, many scholars believed
that IOs were just venues where the contradicting, but sometimes intersecting, agendas of countries were discussed-no more than talk shops. What has become more
evident in recent years, however, is that IOs can take on lives of their own. For example, as seen in Lesson 2, the IMF was able to promote a particular form of economic
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orthodoxy that stemmed mainly from the beliefs of its professional economists. IOs can thus become influential as independent organizations. International relations
scholars Michael N. Barnett and Martha Finnemore listed the following powers of IOS. The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as:
“someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being

The 1951 Refugee
Convention is a key
legal document and
defines a refugee as:
“someone who is
unable or unwilling
to return to their
country of origin
owing to a well-
founded fear of being
First, IOs have the power of classification. Because IOs can invent and apply categories, they create “powerful global standards." For
example, it is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that defines what a refugee is. And since states are required to accept
refugees entering their borders, this power to establish identity has concrete effects.20
Second, IOs have the power to fix meanings. This is a broader function related to the first. Various terms like “security or a development”
need to be well-defined. States, organizations, and individuals view IOs as legitimate sources of information. As such, the meanings they
create have effects on various policies. For example, recently, the United Nations has started to define security as not just safety from
military violence, but also safety from environmental harm.
Finally, IOs have the power to diffuse norms. Norms are accepted codes of conduct that may not be strict law, but nevertheless produce
regularity in behavior. IOs do not only classify and fix meanings; they also spread their ideas across the world, thereby establishing global
standards. Their members are, as Barnett and Finnemore emphasized, the “missionaries” of our time. Their power to diffuse norms stems
from the fact that IOs are staffed with independent bureaucracies, who are considered experts in various fields. For example, World Bank
economists come to be regarded as experts in development and thus carry some form of authority. They can, therefore, create norms
regarding the implementation and conceptualization of development projects.

Because of these immense powers, IOs can be sources of great good and great harm. They can promote relevant norms like environmental protection and human rights.
But, like other entrenched bureaucracies, they can become sealed-off communities that fail to challenge their beliefs.

THE UNITED NATIONS

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History of the United Nations

PRECEDING YEARS - FORERUNNERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

1865 || 1874

States first established international organizations to cooperate on specific matters.

The International Telecommunication Union was founded in 1865 as the International Telegraph
Union, and the Universal Postal Union was established in 1874. Both are now United
Nations specialized agencies.

1899 || 1902

In 1899, the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague to elaborate
instruments for settling crises peacefully, preventing wars and codifying rules of warfare. It
adopted the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes and established
the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began work in 1902.

1 January 1942 || The name "United Nations" is coined 1919

The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived
in similar circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of
Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
The International Labour Organization was also created under the Treaty
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June 1941 || An Inter-Allied Declaration1941: The Declaration of St. James' Palace

The sentences from the Declaration of St. James' Palace still serve as the watchwords of peace: “The only true basis of enduring peace is the willing cooperation of free
peoples in a world in which, relieved of the menace of aggression, all may enjoy economic and social security; It is our intention to work together, and with other free
peoples, both in war and peace, to this end.”

In June 1941, London was the home of nine exiled governments. The great British capital had already seen 22 months of war and in the bomb-marked city, air-raid sirens
wailed all too frequently. Practically all Europe had fallen to the Axis and ships on the Atlantic, carrying vital supplies, sank with grim regularity. But in London itself and
among the Allied governments and peoples, faith in ultimate victory remained unshaken.

And, even more, people were looking beyond military victory to the postwar future. “Would we win only to live in dread of yet another war? Should we not define some
purpose more creative than military victory? Is it not possible to shape a better life for all countries and peoples and cut the causes of war at their roots?”

Such were the anxious questions which troubled many minds, not only in Britain, but in all Allied countries.

On the twelfth of that month the representatives of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa and of the exiled governments of
Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Yugoslavia and of General de Gaulle of France, met at the ancient St. James’ Palace and
signed a declaration.

14 August 1941 || The Atlantic Charter

Two leaders issued a joint declaration destined to be known in history as the Atlantic Charter. This document was not a treaty between the two powers. Nor was it a final
and formal expression of peace aims. It was only an affirmation, as the document declared, “of certain common principles in the national policies of their respective
countries on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”

Then, one afternoon, came the news that President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill were in conference “somewhere at sea”—the same seas on which the
desperate Battle of the Atlantic was being fought— and on August 14 the two leaders issued a joint declaration destined to be known in history as the Atlantic Charter.

This document was not a treaty between the two powers. Nor was it a final and formal expression of peace aims. It was only an affirmation, as the document declared, “of
certain common principles in the national policies of their respective countries on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
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1942: Declaration of The United Nations

1 January 1942 || The name "United Nations" is coined

The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was
first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War,
when representatives of 26 countries fighting the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, pledged their
Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. This important document
pledged the signatory governments to the maximum war effort and bound them against making a
separate peace. President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, Maxim Litvinov, of the USSR, and
T. V. Soong, of China, signed a short document which later came to be known as the United
Nations Declaration. The next day the representatives of twenty-two other nations added their
signatures. This important document pledged the signatory governments to the maximum war
effort and bound them against making a separate peace.

24 October 1945 || The United Nations officially comes into existence

In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter.
Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at
Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944.

The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one
of the original 51 Member States. The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet
Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October each year.

Source: https://www.un.org/en/sections/history/history-united-nations/index.html
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STRUCTURE OF UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations (UN) has six main organs. Five of them — the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council and
the Secretariat — are based at UN Headquarters in New York. The sixth, the International Court of Justice, is located at The Hague in the Netherlands. The United
Nations is neither a supra-State nor a government of governments. It does not have an army and it imposes no taxes. It depends on the political will of its Member States
to have its decisions put into action and relies on the contributions of its Members to carry out its activities.

6 Main Organs

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations. It is composed of representatives from all Member States, each of which has one vote. Read
more about the General Assembly here.

Security Council

Under the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one
vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. Read more about the Security Council here.

Economic and Social Council

A founding UN Charter body established in 1946, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the place where the world’s economic, social and environmental
challenges are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations issued. Read more about ECOSOC here.

Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council was established to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories and to make sure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the
Territories for self-government or independence. Read more about the Trusteeship Council here.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The Court is charged with settling legal disputes between States and giving
advisory opinions to the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Read more about the International Court of Justice here.
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Secretariat

The UN Secretariat, consisting of staff representing all nationalities working in duty stations all over the world, carries out the day to day work of the Organization. The
Secretariat services the other principal organs of the United Nations and administers the programmes and policies established by them. Read more about the Secretariat
here.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/un-structure

FOUR PILLARS OF UNITED NATIONS

The foundation upon which the UN was created is described in the Preamble of the UN Charter:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ARE DETERMINED

 to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
 to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
 to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
 to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

The Preamble describes four areas that are the pillars of the UN,
 Peace and Security
 Human Rights
 The Rule of Law
 Development

These four pillars are all interconnected. You can’t fully achieve one without achieving all of them.

1. Peace and Security

As outlined in the Preamble of the UN Charter, the United Nations was created “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.” The Security Council is the main organ responsible for maintaining
international peace and security although other organs such as the General Assembly and the Secretariat play an important role in making
recommendations and assisting in the resolution of armed conflicts.

In this picture, The Security Council Meets on Maintenance of International Peace and Security
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Peacebuilding

Peace-building refers to efforts to assist countries and regions that have been torn apart by war to make the transition from war to peace. Once fighting has ended, countries often require
assistance rebuilding state institutions responsible for maintaining law and order (for example, training a new police force), health, education and other services disrupted by war. It may also
include activities such as disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating soldiers, supervising elections and reintegrating refugees. At the heart of peace-building is an attempt to build a new State
that will have the capacity to manage disputes peacefully, protect its civilians and ensure respect for human rights.

2. Human Rights

The UN Charter also begins by affirming “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large
and small.”

This principle led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the General Assembly on December 10, 1948, in
the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.

The Universal Declaration was a landmark achievement in world history. It marked the first time that the rights and freedoms of individuals
were set forth in such detail. It also represented the first international recognition that human rights and fundamental freedoms are
applicable to every person, everywhere. Today, it continues to affect people's lives, serves as a model for numerous international treaties and
declarations and has been incorporated in the constitutions and laws of many countries. The Declaration has inspired more than 60
international human rights instruments, which together constitute a comprehensive system of legally binding treaties for the promotion and
protection of human rights. It is the best known and most cited human rights document in the world.

Following the historic adoption of the UDHR, the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to
cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction
based on the political status of countries or territories."

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States holding a

Declaration of Human Rights poster

The connection between human rights and the other pillars is clearly visible throughout the UDHR. First, it acknowledges, in the Preamble, that the recognition of the inalienable rights of all
individuals is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Second, it elaborates the UN Charter's declared purpose of promoting development by giving economic, social and
cultural rights the same degree of protection that one finds for civil and political rights.

The central importance of human rights to the work of the UN can be seen in the extent to which human rights work at the country level has grown over the last decade. In 1996, the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was present in 14 countries. Today, OHCHR-supported human rights personnel are deployed in over 40 countries. When people’s
human rights are violated, peace and security is threatened until these rights are restored and protected
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3. Rule of Law

The United Nations was established in the aftermath of a terrible war to ensure that relations among nations would be grounded in international law. “Rule of law” is one of the core concepts at
the heart of the Organization’s work and mission.

As stated in the UN Charter, the UN aims “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can
be maintained.” In order to develop and prosper, human beings must be able to look to the State for security and protection and be able to exercise their individual rights. This cannot happen
without the rule of law. The rule of law refers to a principle of governance in which all persons, public and private institutions, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are
consistent with international human rights norms and standards.

Justice is a vital component of the rule of law. At the international level, the most striking development over the past decade has occurred in the area of international criminal justice. The
International Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda established by the Security Council in 1993 and 1994 respectively marked the first generation of tribunals since the International
Military Tribunal established in Nuremberg. They demonstrated the collective will not to allow grave violations of international law to go unpunished.

Many of the poorest countries need investments to train and employ qualified personnel to manage democratic institutions that are vital to upholding the rule of law. In addition, good
governance requires public participation in the political process. This helps guarantee that governments will be held accountable for their actions.

4. Development

The fourth declared aim of the United Nations is “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the organ most
associated with achieving this goal. It is responsible for coordinating the development mandates of 14 UN specialized agencies and five regional commissions. In addition, ECOSOC consults with
academics, business representatives and more than 2,100 registered non-governmental organizations.

Most people don’t realize that roughly 70% of the UN system focuses its work on promoting social progress and improving the well-being of people around the world. The main components of
development are:

 Living a long and healthy life

 Being educated
 Having a decent standard of living
 Having the freedom to participate in the life of one’s community.

Richness of human life—well-being: what people often fail to realize is that development is about having the opportunity and freedom to develop our abilities to their fullest extent.
Development cannot occur without the freedom from misery, hunger, illiteracy and disease. People who live in extreme poverty lack choices. Having a decent standard of living gives us the
means to pursue our desires and dreams. Human rights come into play when we acknowledge that everyone should have the same opportunities to develop their abilities to the fullest extent.

Source: https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/4-pillars-united-nations
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Challenges of the United Nations

Given the scope of the UN's activities, it naturally faces numerous challenges. Chief among these are the limits placed upon its various organs and programs by the need to respect state
sovereignty. The UN is not a world government, and it functions primarily because of voluntary cooperation from states. If states refuse to cooperate, the influence of the UN can be severely
circumscribed. For example, the UN Council on Human Rights can send special rapporteurs to countries where alleged human rights violations are occurring. If a country does not invite the
rapporteur or places conditions on his/her activities, however, this information-gathering mechanism usually fails to achieve its goals.

However, perhaps the biggest challenge of the United Nations is related to issues of security. As mentioned, the UN Security Council is tasked with authorizing international acts of military
intervention. Because of the P5's veto power, it is tough for the council to release a formal resolution, much more implement it. This became an issue, for example, in the late 1990s when the
United States sought to intervene in the Kosovo war. Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević was committing acts of ethnic cleansing against ethnic Muslim Albanians in the province of Kosovo.
Hundreds and thousands of Albanians were victims of massacres, mass deportations, and internal displacement. Amid this systematic terror, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO, see Lesson 5), led by the United States, sought SC authorization to intervene in the Kosovo war on humanitarian grounds. China and Russia, however, threatened to veto any action,
rendering the UN incapable of addressing crisis. In response, NATO decided to intervene on its own. The NATO intervention was largely a success, it, nevertheless left the UN ineffectual.

Today, a similar dynamic is evident in Syria, which is undergoing a civil war. Russia has threatened to veto any so resolution against Syria; thus, the UN has done very little to stop state-
sanctioned violence against opponents of the government. Since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is an ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the latter has shied away from any policy that
could weaken the legitimacy of the former. As a result, the UN is again ineffectual amid a conflict that has led to over 220,000 people dead and 11 million displaced.

Despite these problems, it remains important for the SC to place a high bar on military intervention. The UN Security Council has been wrong on issues of intervention, but it has also made right
decisions. When the United States sought to invade Iraq in 2001, it claimed that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that threatened the world. However, UN
members Russia, China, and France were unconvinced and vetoed the UN resolution for intervention, forcing the United States to lead a small “coalition of the willing” with its allies. It has since
been discovered that there were no weapons of mass destruction, and the invasion of Iraq has caused problems for the country and the region that last until today.

ACTIVITY 4: The United Nations Peacekeepers, who are they?

Research in Google what the United Nations peacekeepers are, (the countries that send these peacekeepers), their responsibilities, the places where they have been involved in the last
50 years, and how did they resolved disputes? Make an article and send your file in this email address: mhebelyn102097@yahoo.com

Format: TIMES NEW ROMAN, FONT SIZE 12, SPACING 1.15, MARGIN IS 1 INCH ALL SIDES.
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LESSON 5: A WORLD OF REGIONS

Governments, associations, societies, and groups form regional organizations and/or networks as a way of coping with the challenges of globalization. Globalization has
made people aware of the world in general, but it has also made more cognizant of specific areas such as Southeast Asia. How, for instance, did the Philippines come to
identify itself with the Southeast Asian region? Why is it part of a regional grouping known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)?
While regionalism is often seen as a political and phenomenon, the term actually encompasses a broader area. It can be examined in relation to identities, ethics, religion,
ecological sustainability, and health. Regionalism is also a process, and must be treated as an “emergent, socially constituted phenomenon.” It means that regions are not
natural or given; rather, they are constructed and defined by policymakers, economic actors, and even social movements.

Countries, Regions, and Globalization

Edward D. Mansfield and Helen V. Milner state that economic and political definitions of regions vary, but there are certain basic features that everyone can agree on.
First, regions are a group of countries located in the same geographically specified area" or are "an amalgamation of two regions (or) a combination of more than two
regions” organized to regulate and “oversee flows and policy choices." Second, the words regionalization and regionalism should not be interchanged, as the former
refers to the (regional concentration of economic flows” while the latter is a political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and coordination among
countries."

Countries respond economically and politically to globalization in various ways. Some are large enough and have a lot of resources to dictate how they participate in
processes of global integration. China, for example, offers its cheap and huge workforce to attract foreign businesses and expand trade with countries it once considered
its enemies but now sees as markets for its goods (e.g., the United States and Japan). Other countries make up for their small size by taking advantage of their strategic
location. Singapore and Switzerland compensate for their lack of resources by turning themselves into financial and banking hubs. Singapore developed its harbor
facilities and made them a first class transit port for ships carrying different commodities from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and mainland Southeast Asia to countries
in the Asia-Pacific. In most cases, however, countries form a regional alliance for—as the saying goes, there is strength in numbers.

Countries form regional associations for several reasons. One is for military defense. The most widely known defense grouping is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) formed during the Cold War when several Western European countries plus the United States agreed to protect Europe against the threat of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union responded by forming its regional alliance, the Warsaw Pact.

The Soviet Union imploded in December 1991, but NATO remains in place.
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Countries also form regional organizations to pool their resources in order to get better returns for their exports, as well as expand their leverage against trading
partners. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was established in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela to regulate the
production and sale of oil.

There are countries that form regional blocs to protect their independence from the pressures of superpower politics. The presidents of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia
and Yugoslavia created the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961 to pursue world peace and international cooperation, human rights, national sovereignty, racial and
national equality, non-intervention, and peaceful conflict resolution. It called itself non-aligned because the association refused to side with either the First World
capitalist democracies in Western Europe and North America or the communist states in Eastern Europe. At its peak the NAM has 120 member countries. The
movement, however, was never formalized.

Finally, economic crisis compels countries to come together. When the Thai Economy collapsed in 1996, ASEAN countries along with China, Japan, and South Korea
agreed to establish an emergency fund to anticipate the crisis. This crisis made ASEAN more “unified and coordinated.”

Contemporary Challenges to Regionalism

Today, regionalism faces multiple challenges, the most serious of which is the resurgence of militant nationalism and populism. The refusal to dismantle NATO after the
collapse of the Sovient Union, for example, has become the basis of the anti-NATE rhetoric of Vladimir Putin in Russia. Now, even the relationship of the United States-the
alliance's core member-with NATO has become problematic after Donald Trump demonized the organization as simply leeching off American military power without
giving anything in return.

Perhaps the most crisis- ridden regional organization of today is the European Union. The continuing financial crisis of the region is forcing countries like Greece to
consider leaving the Union to gain more flexibility in their economic policy. Anti-immigrant sentiment and a populist campaign against Europe have already led to the
United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union in a move the media has termed the “Brexit."

ASEAN members continue to disagree over the extent to which member countries should sacrifice their sovereignty for the sake of regional stability.48 The Association's
link with East Asia has also been problematic. Recently, ASEAN countries also disagreed over how to relate to China, with the Philippines unable to get the other
countries to support its condemnation of China's occupation of the West Philippine Sea. Cambodia and Laos led the opposition favoring diplomacy over confrontation,
but the real reason was the dramatic increase of Chinese investments and economic aid to these countries. Moreover, when some formerly authoritarian countries
democratized, this “participatory regionalism” clashed with ASEAN's policy of non-interference, as civil society groups in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand
demanded that the other countries democratized adopt a more open attitude towards foreign criticism.
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A final challenge pertains to differing vision of what regionalism should be for. Western governments may see regional organizations not simple as economic formations
but also as instruments of political democratization. Non-western and developing societies, however, may have different view regarding globalization, development and
democracy. Singapore, China, and Russia see democracy as an obstacle to the implementation and deepening of economic globalization because constant public inquiry
about economic projects and lengthy debate slow down implementation or lead to unclear outcomes.

ACTIVITY 5: 50 POINTS - GENERAL QUIZ FOR THE WHOLE CHAPTER 1

The quiz is scheduled on September 23, 2020. The quiz will be administered by your instructor via Google Form. The link will be provided soon.