GLOBALIZATION AND THE UN

SYSTEM
• While globalization understood as a term that refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations and
conciousness across world time and world space (Steger,2003)which is not only concern with expansion of
economic activities across state,borders;increasing value of finance,investment,goods and services
flows;ideas,infoemation,organization, and people and cultural exchanges,but also reflects the rapidity and
intensity of the interactions in real time.

• From these occurences,there are opposing views when analyzing the effect of globalization.
Weiss and Thakur(2010)raised points for
clarifications:

• That even in globalization ere,people’s movements remain restricted and strictly regulated,more so,after 9/11 attack.
• Economic interdependence is highly assymmetrical;industrialized,developing countries are either interdependent in their relations wiyh
another and developing countries are highly dependent on industrialized countries.
• Growing divergence ,not convergence,in income levels between countriess and people,with widening inequality among and within the
nations.
• It has unleashed many ’uncivil society’ forces like international terrorism,drugs,people and gun trafficking and illicit money flows (Heine and
Thakur,2011)
Role of UN in Global Politics
• Among the operating international ,UN has more comparative advantage in identifying and resolving global concerns.And as world
organization, it will continue to play four eddential roles according to Weise and Thakur (2011),to wit:
• 1.Managing Knowledge-from arange of issues such as atomic bombing to HIV/AIDS and climate change, and to various kind of services like
regulations of the skies and seas, internet traffic and mail,all had successfully reached attention of every states that prompted them
eventually to be involved and act towards resolution.
• 2.Developing Norms-key actors in international arena are institutions operated by human beings or social actors ,thus,norms or standards of
behaviors are necessary to the society function and existence.As data has been collected and knowledge gained that a problem is serious to
warrant attention by the international policy community,new norms are thereby developed.This in turn,was articulated,disseminated and
institutionalized.
• 3.Formulating Recommendations-As norms are developed,a myriad of possibilities must be formulated on how key actors i.e. Government
and IGOs can alter the behaviour.However,by the 21st century,the growth and presence of civil societies has led them to warrant attention as
they become louder and bolder in voicing their positions in various issues.Civil societies orNGOs have been recognized as they were present
in signing of the Charter-Article 71 which provides for their participation.However,formulated recommendations and proposals may wither
as the next step would be given to the member states,who shall take the responsibility.
• 4.Institutionalizing Ideas-once the knowledge has been acquired,norms articulated and polocies formulated,and existing institutions can
oversee their implementation and monitoring (Weiss and Thakur,2011.)Based on UN’s history,every problems identified has several global
institutions whicha re working on important solutions.Once created,institutions can facilitate problem solving despite of non-coercive
power.In some cases,when the problem is distinctive,parrticularly interms of gravity and scale,from other problems ,international community
of state would create a new IGO which focus on addressing such problems.For instances,the joinst UN programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS),established in 1996 following resolution of WHOs World Health Assenbly,was created serving as principal instrument for global
action on HIV/AIDS and provides action to the epidemic.
UN Challenges and Responses to Issues

• For more than seventy years of operation,UN has been continously challenged of different controversy and critism.given the ‘ideational
rolr’iot is ineveitable that expectations do not meet Uns actual performances as the primcipal global governance actor.
• While uN ws assumed to be active area such as refugge protection,environment,counter terrorism,human rights,disarmanent,economic
and social development,UN mainrole that is widely accepted is that maintenance of peace and security that is carried out Security
Councilas its the main organ.Though it gain successes in peacekeeping (such as in Mozambique and El Salvador)and peace building(East
Timor),in mid 1990s,UN failed to present the large scale slaughter in Rwanda and Bosnia which damage its reputation
(Heywood,2011).These and other issues continue to challenge uN to take on a stronger role in maintaining global order.