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behavior of the state through the fear of retaliation
PATTERNS OF POWER IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
Balance of Power - The maintenance of a just equilibrium
between the members of the family of nations to prevent
any one of them from becoming sufficiently strong to
impose its will upon the next.
Nature and Features
- Temporary and unstable
- To be actively achieved
- Not a device of peace
- Big powers as actors
- National interest is its basis
- Some sort of equilibrium only
Methods
1. Compensation
2. Alliances and Counter Alliances
3. Partition
4. Armaments and Disarmament
5. Intervention and War
Collective Security Theory - refers to an approach in
international relations that seeks to prevent aggression
by creating a system of collective defense. The idea is
that all members of the international community agree
to come to the aid of any country that is threatened by
aggression.
Nature and Features
- Security is the chief goal
- “One for All, All for One.”
- A device of power management
- It accepts the universality of aggression
- Pooling of power
- Global preponderance of power
- Deterrent against war
- Aggression is the enemy
Criticisms
1. The concept of collective security is based upon
certain idealistic assumptions.
2. It wrongly assumes that in the event of aggression
against any nation, the aggressor and the nature of
its aggression can be really and easily identified.
3. Collective security is self-negating.
4. Absence of a permanent peacekeeping force.
5. Fails to work on the equality principle.
6. Dangerous system.
Power Polarization Theory - this exist when political
powers are either distributed or concentrated among
nation-states in the international system which may be:
a) Monopoly of power
b) Bipolarization
c) Multipolarization
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Theory of Deterrence - aims to contain the aggressive
Types
a) Deterrence by denial - strategies that seek to
determine an action by making it infeasible or
unlikely to succeed
b) Deterrence by punishment - strategies that
threatens severe penalties
Détente - a process of managing relations with a
potentially hostile country in order to preserve peace
while maintaining our vital interests
Characteristics
- Peaceful co-existence
- Elements of conflicts
- A mutual trust out of mutual fear
Economic Interdependence - A relationship between
two individuals, groups, sectors, businesses, regions, or
countries where each of them is dependent upon each
other for the exchange of goods and the fulfillment of
their necessities.
Globalization - a by-product of Economic
Interdependence. It triggers the spread of technology,
products, labor, processes, and jobs all around the world
REGIMES AND INSTITUTIONS
International Relations - It is the study of how nations-
states interact with one another within an International
System
Critical Theories and Approaches
1. Realism - Approach that emphasizes the self-
interest of the state within a competitive system.
2. Liberalism
- willingness to respect or accept behavior or
opinions different from one ' s own; openness to
new ideas
- a political and social philosophy that promotes
individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and
free enterprise
- approach that emphasizes states establishing
consistent political philosophies that promote
peace and cooperation
- Closely tied with Wilsonianism (Woodrow
Wilson). It promoted interventionism, global
cooperation, democracy and capitalism
➢ Three inter-related emphasis
a) Rejection of power politics as outcome of
International Relations
 b) Questions principles of Realism about - Contrast with Positivism (There is only one and
national security/interest objective reality)
c) Mutual Benefits and International - There are many relative realities: my reality may
Cooperation be different to your reality because of various
factors (orientation, experiences, idea, norms)
ISSUE REALISM LIBERALISM
INTERNATIONAL Anarchy/ Internationalism/ Constructivism to International Relations:
SYSTEM conflictive cooperation Nation-states are much like individuals living in a
reciprocity reality formed by themselves rather than outside
OBJECTIVE national establishment of entities (nicholas onuf)
security/ peace
survival 5. Marxism
MOTIVATION power, self- mutual - a German philosopher, economist, historian,
interest assistance and
sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of
collaboration
political economy, and socialist revolutionary
KEY ACTORS national state states, individual
institution - A social, economic and political philosophy that
understands the impact of the ruling class on the
3. Feminism laborers, leading to uneven distribution of
- understand how ‘’gender’’ affects international wealth and privileges in the society. It stimulates
politics and processes the workers to protest the injustice
- All gender having equal rights and opportunities - Placed a premium on economic equality and
divided the world into classes:
Feminist Influences a) Capitalist class: owners of factories,
a) International women's social movements companies, and other means of production.
- aims to achieve political, social, and b) Proletariat class: who did not own the
economic change. means of production and worked for the
- closely related with the civil rights capitalists.
movement, which seeks equality of rights
regardless of race, sex, creed, or culture. Marxism to International Relations: assumes
that hegemony is maintained through close
b) Suffrage Movements cooperation between powerful elites inside and
- highlighted the gender roles of women in outside the core regions of the world system.
Western societies Global governance is constituted by political and
- contributed to the society's notion of economic institutions that put pressure on the
gender. less developed and unstable peripheral
countries
Plato - "jobs and responsibilities should be
distributed by the person’s nature instead of neither UNITED NATIONS
the gender nor the appearance in an ideal state
Birth of UN
Mary Wollstonecraft - society was wasting its assets - Born from war, exist today for peace
because it kept women in the role of 'convenient - the League of Nations’ inability to forestall Japanese,
domestic slaves', and denied them economic Italian, and German expansionism, and the
subsequent outbreak of World War II
Feminism Issues and Contributions
- Gendered Violence Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Gender Exclusion Traditional View of Collective Security
- Deconstruction of Gender Identities - the four major powers —the United States, Britain,
Soviet Union, and China—would act as “Four
• We need to see women as global actors not as a Policemen” to provide security for the world
global victim - if an aggressive country “started to run amok and
seeks to grab territory or invade its neighbors,” a
• Feminism continues to challenge the
new global institution would “stop them before they
International System to take into account a
got started.”
broader range of actors
- "An attack on one is an attack on all"
4. Constructivism
British Prime Minister Winston Churchil
- Construction/creation of reality and knowledge
- creation of an “effective international organization.”
by individuals or groups within a society
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- "All of the nations of the world … must come to the
abandonment of the use of force"
One place where the world's nations can gather
together, discuss common problems and find shared
solutions.
The United Nations is an international organization
founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member
States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes
and principles contained in its founding Charter.
The United Nations is actually a family of organizations,
consisting of six principal organs, but also a panoply of
agencies, programs, commissions.
Structure
UN Charter - an international treaty that is the UN’s
constituting agreement. It establishes the various organs
of the UN, lays out how they will operate, and also sets
out the duties and rights of member states
UN system or UN family - Its principal organs and their
commissions make up the UN per se; these organs, their
subsidiary bodies, and the programs, funds, and
specialized agencies of the UN form the entire “UN
system” or “UN family.”
➢ Main Objectives
The Charter defines the goals of the worldwide
organization. To “save succeeding generations from
the scourge of war” (preamble), the Charter sets out
two main objectives for the UN:
a) the maintenance of international peace and
security through a system of collective
security
b) the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all peoples, through respect
for human rights and the development of
technical cooperation among States
Main Organs
1. General Assembly
- Established under Chapter IV of the UN Charter
- plenary body of the UN—the main organ for
discussion and voting.
- All Member States are represented at the
General Assembly, under the principle of
universal democracy, whereby all States are
equal and respect the equal rights of all peoples.
- Each Member State therefore has one vote (Art.
18.1 of the UN Charter)
2. Security Council
- Established under Chapter V of the UN Charter
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- responsible for making decisions on issues
concerning the maintenance of international
peace and security, through a system of
resolutions and votes.
- realist heart of an organization with a liberal
mission
➢ Composition
- 15 members
- Five of whom have a permanent seat (US,
UK, CHINA, RUSSIA, FRANCE)
- Ten of whom are elected by the General
Assembly every two years, with specific
regard to equitable geographic distribution
(Art. 23 of the UN Charter)
3. Secretariat
- Established under Chapter XV of the UN Charter
- at the service of all the other organs of the UN to
implement their programs (Art. 98 of the
Charter).
- The Secretary-General represents the
organization as its highest officer (Art. 97)
➢ Secretary General
- Is the chief administrative officer of the
United Nations and head of the UN
Secretariat.
- The Secretary-General is appointed by the
General Assembly of the UN, on
recommendation of the Security Council, for
a renewable period of five years (Art. 97)
- António Guterres of Portugal took office on
January 1, 2017 as ninth Secretary General
4. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
- Established under Chapter 10 of the UN Charter,
- The heart of the United Nations system to
advance the three dimensions of sustainable
development – economic, social and
environmental.
- primary organ for promoting higher standards of
living, full employment, and economic and social
progress; solutions of international economic,
social, health, and related problems;
international cultural and educational
cooperation; and universal respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms.
5. International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- also known as the ICJ or the World Court
- main Judicial Body and is based in Netherlands.
- settles disputes between States
- concentrates on International Duty and
Responsibility of the States
➢ Two primary duties:
- to settle disputes between member states
 - to offer advisory opinions to the UN and its
specialized agencies
➢ International Criminal Court - judge
individuals on the basis of their individual
penal responsibility with regard to crimes
under international law
6. Trustee Council
- promotes the advancement of the inhabitants of
Trust Territories and their progressive
development towards self-government or
independence.
Collective Security
- set of norms, rules, and methods that states agree to
adopt to ensure peace and international security
- role of Security Council and Secretariat
- The Security Council may subcontract missions
to regional organizations responsible for these
regional mechanisms (e.g., NATO)
- Peacekeeping Operations
Role of Secretariat
- The Secretariat consists of thousands of
international civil servants working at the United
Nations.
- The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat,
which has tens of thousands of UN staff members
recruited internationally and locally, and works in
duty stations and on peacekeeping missions.
- He may bring to the attention of the Security Council
any matter which in his opinion may threaten the
maintenance of international peace and security

Role of Security Council

A. International Level

1. Pacific Settlement of Disputes (Chapter VI of UN

Charter)
- This is the preventive stage. Moderate peaceful
agreement between involved parties. Propose
principles for dispute resolution, or mediate the
dispute itself.

2. Responses to Breaches of the Peace and Acts of

Aggression (Chapter VII of UN Charter)
- Security Council may call upon UN members to
sanction the offending state through economic
sanctions or by completely or partially
interrupting transportation linkages and
communication linkages, as well as cutting off
diplomatic relations.
- Article 52 allows the Security Council to “take
such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be
necessary to maintain or restore international
peace and security.”
- WHEN authorizing military interventions, the
Security Council must issue resolutions insisting
that a case constitute a threat to international
peace and security
- Often blocked by veto
➢ Such major resolution must:
- conferred in by at least 9 of all the 15
members
- Great Unanimity of Power Principle: there
must be no veto from the P5

B. Regional Level
- Cooperation between the United Nations and
regional and subregional organizations in
maintaining international peace and security

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