LESSON 4

The United Nations and Contemporary Global Governance

Leaning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson you should be able to:
I. define global governance;
2 Identify the roles and functions of the dotted Nations and
3. determine the challenges of global governance al the twenty-first century
Although many internationalists like Bentham and Kant imagined the possibility of a global
government, nothing of the sort exists today. There is no one organization that various states are
accountable to. Moreover, no organization can militarily compel a state to obey predetermined global
rules. There is, however, some regularity in the general behavior of states. For example, they more or less
follow global navigation routes and, more often than not, respect each other's territorial boundaries.
Moreover, when they do not—like when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 —it becomes a cause for global
concern and debate. The fact that states in an international order continue to adhere to certain global
norms means that there is a semblance of world order despite the lack of a single world government.
Global governance refers to the various intersecting processes that create this order.
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 (NG0s), though not
having formal state power, can lobby individual states to behave in a certain way (for example. an
international animal protection NGO can pressure governments to pass animal cruelty laws). Powerful
transnational corporations can likewise have tremendous effects on global labor laws, environmental
legislation, trade policy, etc. Even ideas such as the need for "global democracy" or the clamor for -good
governance' can influence the ways international actors behave.
One lesson will not be able to cover the various ways global governance occurs. As such, this
lesson will only examine how global governance is articulated by intergovernmental organizations. It will
focus primarily on the United Nations (UN) as the most prominent intergovernmental organization today.
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 (lOs). Although international NGOs are
sometimes considered as lOs. the term is commonly used to rein' 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 1960 and 19701, many scholars believed that lOs 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 orthodoxy that
stemmed mainly from the beliefs of its professional economists, IOs can thus influential as independent
organizations. International relations scholars Michael N. Barnett and Martha Finnemore listed this
fallowing powers of IOs.
First. lOs have the power of classification. Because lOs 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 (see Lesson 10 for more). And since states are required to accept refugees
entering their borders, this power to establish identity has concrete effects.
Second, lOs have the power to fix meanings. This is a broader function related to the first. Various
terms like "security' or "development" need to be well-defined. States, organizations and individuals view
lOs 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. 10s have the power to diffuse norms. Norms are accepted codes of conduct that may not
be strict law, but nevertheless produce regularity in behavior. lOs 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 lOs 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 sonic form of authority. They can. Therefore, create norms regarding the implementation and
conceptualization of development projects.
Because of these immense powers, lOs 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. For example,
the Nobel Prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz famously criticized the IMF for using a 'one-size-fits-
ail" approach when its economists made recommendations to developing countries.'
The United Nations

Having examined the powers, limitations, and weaknesses of 10s, the spotlight will now fall on
the most prominent 10 in the contemporary world, the United Nations (UN). After the collapse (lithe
League of Nations at the end of World War II. countries that worried about another global war began to
push for the formation of a more lasting international league. The result was the creation of the UN.
Although the organization is far from perfect, it should he emphasized that it has so far achieved its
primary goal of averting another global war. For this reason alone. the UN should be considered success.
The UN is divided into five active organs. The General Assembly (GA) is UN's "main deliberative
policymaking and representative organ."' According to the UN charter: “Decisions on important questions,
such as those on peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary matters, require a two-
thirds majority of the General Assembly. Decisions on other questions are done by simple majority.
Annually. the General Assembly elects a GA President to serve a one-year term of office."' All member
states (currently at 193) have seats in the GA. The Philippines played a prominent role in the GA's early
years when Filipino diplomat Carlos P. Romulo was elected GA president from 1949-1950.
Although the GA is the most representative organization in the UN, many commentators consider
the Security Council (SC) to be the most powerful. According to the UN, this body consists of 15 member
states. The GA elects ten of these 15 to two-year terms. The other five—sometimes referred to as the
Permanent 5 (P5)—are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These states
have been permanent members since the founding of the UN, and cannot be replaced through election.
The SC takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or an act of aggression. It calls
upon the parties to a dispute to settle the act by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment
or terms of settlement. In some cases, it can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorizing the use of
force to maintain or restore international peace and security." Because of these powers. states that seek to
intervene militarily in another state need to obtain the approval of the SC. With the SC's approval, a
military intervention may be deemed legal. This is an immense power. Much attention has been placed on
the SC's P5 due to their permanent seats and because each country holds veto power over the council's
decisions. It only takes one veto vote from a P5 member to stop an SC action dead in its tracks. In this
sense, the SC is heir to the tradition of "great power" diplomacy that began with the Metternich/Concert of
Europe system (see the previous lesson). It is especially telling that the P5 consists of the major to veto
any action, rendering the UN incapable of addressing the crisis. In response, NATO decided to intervene
on its own. Though 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 SC 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 Frapce were unconvinced and vetoed the UN resolution for intervenfton, 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.
Conclusion
Global governance is such a complex issue that one can actually teach an entire course in itself. This
lesson has focused on the lOs and the United Nations in particular. International organizations are
highlighted because they are the most visible symbols of global governance. The UN, in particular, is the
closest to a world government. What is important to remember is that international institutions like the
UN are always in a precarious position. On the one hand, they arc groups of sovereign states. On the
other, they are organizations with their own rationalities and agendas. It is this tension that will continue
to inform the evolution of these organizations. However, note that there are many institutions, groups, and
ideas that hold international and global politics together. In your own time, you may want to explore these
topics on your own.

? Guide Questions
1. Why is global governance multi-faceted? 2. How do international organizations take on lives of their
own?' 3. What are the challenges faced by the United Nations in maintaining global security?
Iv Learning Activity: The United Nations Peacekeepers: Re-enacting their Roles, Responsibilities, and
Challenges
Research in Google what the United Nations peacekeepers are, the countries that send these peacekeepers,
their responsibilities, and the places where they have been involved in the last 50 years. After
familiarizing yourselves with the UN's peacekeeping function, you will now be ready to deal with a crisis.
Read the scenario below. Countries A and B have been at war against each other for 50 years over a big
area of land that is located in their borders. The land consists of rainforests, suitable farmlands, and rich
mineral resources. It is also suspected to have oil reserves underground. The community that lives in this
area is composed of people who have never been clear about their national loyalties, for the simple reason
that they do not recognize these borders. They have been living in the area long before countries A and B
had national territories. They, therefore, would like to he left alone, to "go back and forth" between the
two borders. Countries A and B, however, want to exploit the resources of this borderland. They started
supporting leaders in this community, secretly at first, but later on with open economic assistance. This
association created tensions within the community that soon worsened into open factional rivalries
between its leaders. The factional rivalry started over how assistance was to be shared, and then moved to
competition over elected positions. The rivalry took a turn for the worse when Countries A and B began
supplying their allies with arms and military training, especially after they both realized the security
problems this borderland can cause.
It did not take long before conflict between the two factions t mile out in the open. This "mini-war" spread
and seriously affected the community, dividing families and pitting friends and relatives against each
other. And then suddenly, the two countries were sending their armies into the border supposedly to help
keep the peace, but in reality, to fight alongside their local allies. The war was intense. Thousands
perished and were injured. But what was clear was that no side was winning. Eventually, exhausted by the
war (Countries A and B began to realize how much resources they wasted in this war), the protagonists
agreed to a temporary truce. They also asked the help of the United Nations in terms of bringing in a
peacekeeping force to stand between the two sides, and negotiate how to turn the truce into a lasting
peace. Your class is that peacekeeping force. list down the things you need to do to prepare for this
mission. Once you have established your presence, think of measures you have to take to keep the peace,
knowing that you will not be there permanently. Good luck.