INSTITUTIONS

GOVERNING
INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
■ International institutions form a vital part of contemporary
international relations that governs much interaction at the
system level.
■ International institutions have authority when states
recognize in principle or practice their ability to make
binding decisions on matters relating to a states domestic
jurisdiction even if those decisions are contrary to a state
policies and preferences.
A. Generalist Inter-state Organizations
1. United Nations – Intergovernmental organization tasked to
maintain international peace and security, developing friendly
relations among nations, achieve international cooperation an a
center for harmonizing the actions of nations.
2. Organization of Islamic Cooperation – Collective voice of the
Muslim world working to safeguard and protect the interests of
the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace
and harmony.
3. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) – Association of
five emerging national economies.
4. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Regional
intergovernmental and geopolitical union of nations in South Asian
promoting the development of economic and regional integration
5. African Union (AU) – Continental union intended to replace the
Organization of African Unity (OAU)
6. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Regional
intergovernmental organization promoting intergovernmental
cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military,
educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other
countries in Asia.
7. Arab League – Regional organization of Arab states in and around
North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Arabia drawing closer the relations
between member states and coordinate collaboration between them to
safeguard their independence and sovereignty and consider in a
general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries.
8. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or the Russian
Commonwealth – Regional intergovernmental Organization of 10 post-
Soviet republics in Eurasia formed following the dissolution of the Soviet
Union.
9. Council of Europe – International Organization aimed to uphold
human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe.
10. Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) – Political and Economic union of
states located in central and northern Eurasia
11. European Union (EU) – Political and economic union of 28 member
states located primarily in Europe.
12. International Organization of the Francophonie – International
organization representing countries and regions where French is the
customary language.
13. Organization of American States (OAS) – Continental
organization for regional solidarity and cooperation among
its member states.
14. Economic Community of Western African States
(ECOWAS) – Regional economic union of 15 countries in
West Africa aimed to achieve collective sufficiency for its
member states by creating a single trade bloc in building a
full economic and trading union.
B. Economic Institutions
1. Asian infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) – Multilateral development
bank that aims to support the building of infrastructures in the Asia-
Pacific region.
2. Asian Development Bank – Regional development bank established to
promote social and economic development in Asia.
3. African Development Bank (AfDB) – Multilateral development finance
institution created to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the
continent by promoting the investment of public and private capital in
projects and programs that contribute to the economic and social
development of the region.
4. Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) – Regional development bank
established by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
5. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – Multilateral
development investment bank that uses investment as a tool to build
market economies.
6. Bank of International Settlements (BIS) – International financial
institution owned by central banks to foster international monetary and
financial cooperation and serves as bank for central banks.
7. Inter-American Development Bank – Largest source of development
financing for Latin America and the Caribbean
8. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IADB) –
International financial institution offering loans to middle-income
developing countries.
9. IMF – International organization working t foster global monetary
cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade,
promote high employment and sustainable economic growth and reduce
poverty around the world.
10. Islamic Development Bank (IDB) – Multilateral development
financing institution.
11. New Development Bank (NDB), formerly BRICS Development Bank –
Multilateral development bank established by the BRICS to support
public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity
participation, and other financial instruments.
12. Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) –
Regional international organization focusing on multilateral political and
economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability, and
prosperity in the Black Sea region.
13. World Bank – international financial institution that provides loans
to countries of the world for capital projects.
14. World Trade Organization (WTO) – Intergovernmental organization
concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations.
C. International Legal Bodies
1. European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) – A supranational or international court
established by the European Convention on Human Rights that hears application
alleging a contracting state’s breached of one or more of the human rights
provisions concerning civil and political rights set out in the convention and its
protocols.
2. United Nations Human Rights Committee – United Nations’ body of 18 experts
established by the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
3. Inter-American Court of Human Rights – autonomous judicial institution, which
together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, makes up the
human rights protection system of the Organization of American States (OAS) that
serves to uphold and promote basic rights and freedom in the Americas.
4. International Criminal Court (ICC) – Intergovernmental and international tribunal
with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for international crimes of genocide,
crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
5. European Court of Justice (ECJ) – Supreme Court of the
European Union in matters of European Union Law.
6. International Court of Justice (ICJ) – Principal judicial organ of
the United Nations.
7. International Tribunal for the Law of the SEA (ITLOS) –
Intergovernmental organization established by the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
D. Regional Security Arrangements
1. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – Organ of the United Nations charged
with the maintenance of international peace and security, accepting new
members to the UN, and approving any changes to the UN Charter.
2. Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) –Intergovernmental military
alliance of post- Soviet States that reaffirms the desire of all participating
states to abstain from the use of threat of force.
3. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - Intergovernmental military alliance
between 29 North American and European countries Constituting a system of
collective defense with member states agreeing to mutual defense in
response to an attack by any external party.
4. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) – World’s largest
security- oriented intergovernmental organization with mandate on issues
such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and
fair elections
V. Internationalism vs. Globalism
Internationalism
People regard themselves
as definite members of
one country, but they have
Identity become aware that other
countries exist in the world
with which cooperation is
possible in many
circumstances.
Globalism
People think of
themselves primarily as
members of humanity on
Earth and only secondarily
as citizens of any country.
An individual does not
stop being a citizen of a
particular nation, but it is
even more important to be
an earthling.
 Internationalism Globalism
One accepts that different There must be one
nations and different common language for all
nationalities often use earthlings to facilitate
different languages. communication and
Communication requires promote global solidarity.
interpreters and
translators or may be
Language assisted now by various
kinds of modern
technology or could
function better if individual
persons learn to use
several different national
languages.
 Internationalism Globalism

Individual’s primary loyalty is Individual’s primary loyalty

still to national governments, would be to a global
even through international government, a kind of
policy-making organizations democratic world federation
such as the United Nations over the national
are present. These governments. Present still is
organizations deal with patriotism or loyalty to the
international problems, not nation-state but subordinated
Loyalty individuals. to humatriotism or loyalty to
humanity. Only the
abandonment of unrestricted
national sovereignty and the
integration of various national
governments of the world into
a democratic world federation
would result in globalism’s
full implementation.
END!!!