Chapter 3: Global Interstate System and Global Governance

Introduction:

Is the idea of the nation-state outdated in the contemporary

world? If so, what is it that we need to think about as
“replacements”? In this lesson, we will look at worldwide
organization of states. This manifests the efforts of countries and
governments in the world to cooperate and collaborate together.
Multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations are
significant organizations that put into question the strength of national
autonomy and global politics.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this topic, learners should be able to:

1. Understand the structure and dynamics of the Interstate System;

2. Explain the challenges of global governance in the twenty-first
century;
3. Know the powers/functions, composition, headquarters and
membership procedure of the different organs of the United Nations;
4. Identify possible solutions to the problems in the United Nations
structure and dynamics; and
5. Explain the relevance of the state amid globalization

Discussion:

UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations (UN) serves as the primary organization

for international cooperation, peace and security.

It was created in 1945 by the Allied Powers, the victors of

the Second World War.

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Primary Concern:
Collective military security through the facilitation of peaceful settlement of
disputes among member-states or by commanding allegiance of the entire
UN membership; sanctions.

Primary Objective:
To ensure peace and order, the UN as an organization can be a conflict actor
in itself or an instrument for action driven by the interests of particular
state.

o Representatives of 50 countries convened at the United Nations

Conference on International Organization, more commonly known as
the San Francisco Conference, to draw up the United Nations Charter.

Six Principal Organs

1) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Primary Objective:
To advance the economic, social and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development.

Composed of 54 elected members by the General Assembly for

overlapping three-year terms

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) are
specialized agencies and independent organizations that are affiliated
with the UN.

2) Trusteeship Council

- The main organ of the UN to provide international supervision of

Trust Territories that are under the administration of seven
member-states, to ensure that adequate steps are being made to
prepare the peoples of Trust Territories for self-governance.

3) International Court of Justice (ICJ)

- It is the United Nation’s principal judicial organ. Its role is to settle

legal disputes between states and to provide advisory opinions on
legal questions referred by the UN organs, and specialized agencies

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4) Security Council (SC)

- It is the most potent organ with the power to make legally binding
resolutions.

Composition:
Composed of 15 members
 Five Permanent Members (PM) or Permanent Five (P-5): China,
France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States
 Ten elected non-permanent members (NPM) elected by the
General Assembly (GA) for overlapping two-year terms
- Ten non-permanent seats are divided among regions:
-five states from African and Asian states
-one seat from the Eastern European States
-two states from Latin American states
-last two from Western European and other States

 Under Article 24 of UN Charter the Security Council is

mandated to act on behalf of the entire UN body to fulfill its
primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and
security.

Functions of Security Council:

o Investigate any situation that has the potential of creating
international tensions
o Call for military action towards an aggressor or threat
o Impose economic sanctions and other measures
o Determine the existence of a breach of peace and actions to be
pursued

 The structural feature on the SC serves as a measure to protect

states from possible threats to independence and to ensure that
the UN will not be used to serve the interest of particular states.
 The structural feature of the UN Charter- veto is a result of an
international compromise allied powers of Second World War.
 The P-5 also act outside the UN Charter and undermine the
interest of the larger UN Body. The over representation and
power concentration has resulted in demands to reform the
structure of the SC, which dramatically serves and benefits of
the interests of the P-5.
 To maintain peace and order, the SC adopts a set of
instruments such as sanctions, peacekeeping, and peace
enforcement.

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  UN peacekeepers are deployed to provide security to populations
and political and peace building support to countries transition
from conflict to peace.

5) General Assembly (GA)

- It is the only organ with universal representation, with all 193

members states represented in the body.
- The GA decides on essential questions with a simple majority,
while concerns related to peace and security, budgetary matters,
and new membership admissions require a two-thirds majority
- The GA meets for annual General Assembly Session and general
debate participated by several heads of state. The body elects a GA
President and 21 Vice President every session for one-year term.

6) Secretariat

- Secretary- General is the chief administrative of the UN Secretariat.

In Article 97, the SC sends a recommendation to the GA which will
appoint the Secretary- General for two five-year terms at most.

Antonio Guterres

- the incumbent Secretary General of United Nations

 Article 99 mandates the Secretary-
General to call for the attention of the members of the
SC on threats to international peace and security, or
when the inability of SC members to be responsive or
to take responsibility is present.

Reforming the United nations

- Reform has only been met once in 1963 when the UNGA voted for
the expansion of the UNSC from 11-15 member-states (UNGA
Resolution of 1963).
- Reforms have long been raised to change the structure of the
security Council to distribute the concentration of power and to
foster inclusive decision making for marginalized and excluded
member-states.

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