Lecture 2
Historical foundations - UN system (KC 1)
→ When did states start developing a global organization that would facilitate discussions about war
and peace?
Peace and security and the rise of the international order
Trying to use mechanisms of governance that would prevent a crisis that we just survived. These
organizations developed their own preferences and with that shaped the future. They are social
structures that we developed in our minds. We collectively build a social entity as a reaction to what
happened to gain control of the situation around us.
● Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
- The world consists of national states whose sovereignty needs to be respected.
- National states are the most important entity,
● French Revolution and the ascendance of Napoleon Bonaparte (1789-1814)
- Napoleon crowning himself and concerning parts of Europe
- The congress of Vienna was the first modern way in which national states came
together and talked about peace.
● Concert of Europe (1815-1914.)
- Reaction to Napoleon's war. It was the first system that tried to establish a permanent
system where leaders of national states could discuss peace before wars happened.
- Top-level diplomatic meetings of the major European Powers
- Key element of the balance of power system 1815-1914
- Inspiration for today’s consultation between the world’s major powers
● The Hague system (1899-1946)
- Reacting to the french-german war.
- W Wilson trying to prevent another war, by settlements, etc.
- Conferences with participation from states from all over the world
- Aim: problem solving and dispute settlement; restrain welfare
- Creation of international court and norms for settling disputes
- Developed the international law
● The League of Nations (1919-1946)
- Reaction on first WW
- Aim: prevent another war
- Respect for states’ territorial integrity and political independence
- Strive for collective security
- First permanent IO with a political nature
- First truly international civil service, independent of member states
● The United Nations (1945-now)
- Aim: create a general international organization to avoid conflict and promote
economic and social cooperation
- Only IGO with global scope and near-universal membership
, The United Nations (KC 2)
→ Why is the UN the most global actor, and why not other IOs? How has the UN become the
centerpiece? Why are some more important than others?
There are no rules, so the systems that become the most important are a result of how the organization
itself performs. It's not successful in solving problems, so, why is it still important?
● Emerged after WW2
● Established in 1945 with the aim to create a general international organization to avoid
conflict and promote economic and social cooperation. It was the centerpiece of global
governance as it was the only IGO with a global scope and near-universal membership. So, it
is a complex organization with many parts.
The United Nations Charter
→ Why are states the most important actors in the world? Many problems are transboundary but
national states are still the most important, why?
The reason for the establishment was to confirm all agreements states had made in the
decades before.
Key principles:
● Sovereignty
- States are the most important actor in the world
- Legal equality of states
- Non-intervention of UN in domestic affairs
● Peace and security
- States shall refrain from the use of force against other states
- Disputes shall be settled by peaceful means
- Security Council can address threats to peace and security with
economic sanctions or, if this is inadequate, with the use of force
- States have the right to defend themselves
● Dilemma: Respect sovereignty states vs. protection of human rights which is
to be a universal value.
The public administrative perspective sees the UN as an organization with its own
sectors and interests that compete with each other. So, a complex network of
organizations
General Assembly
● Made up of representatives of all 193 member states
● Arena for multilateral debate and diplomacy
● Adopts resolutions by simple or ⅔ majority
● Limited formal power
- Can only make non-binding recommendations
● Symbolic role:
- Put issues on the agenda
- Give voice to developing countries
Historical foundations - UN system (KC 1)
→ When did states start developing a global organization that would facilitate discussions about war
and peace?
Peace and security and the rise of the international order
Trying to use mechanisms of governance that would prevent a crisis that we just survived. These
organizations developed their own preferences and with that shaped the future. They are social
structures that we developed in our minds. We collectively build a social entity as a reaction to what
happened to gain control of the situation around us.
● Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
- The world consists of national states whose sovereignty needs to be respected.
- National states are the most important entity,
● French Revolution and the ascendance of Napoleon Bonaparte (1789-1814)
- Napoleon crowning himself and concerning parts of Europe
- The congress of Vienna was the first modern way in which national states came
together and talked about peace.
● Concert of Europe (1815-1914.)
- Reaction to Napoleon's war. It was the first system that tried to establish a permanent
system where leaders of national states could discuss peace before wars happened.
- Top-level diplomatic meetings of the major European Powers
- Key element of the balance of power system 1815-1914
- Inspiration for today’s consultation between the world’s major powers
● The Hague system (1899-1946)
- Reacting to the french-german war.
- W Wilson trying to prevent another war, by settlements, etc.
- Conferences with participation from states from all over the world
- Aim: problem solving and dispute settlement; restrain welfare
- Creation of international court and norms for settling disputes
- Developed the international law
● The League of Nations (1919-1946)
- Reaction on first WW
- Aim: prevent another war
- Respect for states’ territorial integrity and political independence
- Strive for collective security
- First permanent IO with a political nature
- First truly international civil service, independent of member states
● The United Nations (1945-now)
- Aim: create a general international organization to avoid conflict and promote
economic and social cooperation
- Only IGO with global scope and near-universal membership
, The United Nations (KC 2)
→ Why is the UN the most global actor, and why not other IOs? How has the UN become the
centerpiece? Why are some more important than others?
There are no rules, so the systems that become the most important are a result of how the organization
itself performs. It's not successful in solving problems, so, why is it still important?
● Emerged after WW2
● Established in 1945 with the aim to create a general international organization to avoid
conflict and promote economic and social cooperation. It was the centerpiece of global
governance as it was the only IGO with a global scope and near-universal membership. So, it
is a complex organization with many parts.
The United Nations Charter
→ Why are states the most important actors in the world? Many problems are transboundary but
national states are still the most important, why?
The reason for the establishment was to confirm all agreements states had made in the
decades before.
Key principles:
● Sovereignty
- States are the most important actor in the world
- Legal equality of states
- Non-intervention of UN in domestic affairs
● Peace and security
- States shall refrain from the use of force against other states
- Disputes shall be settled by peaceful means
- Security Council can address threats to peace and security with
economic sanctions or, if this is inadequate, with the use of force
- States have the right to defend themselves
● Dilemma: Respect sovereignty states vs. protection of human rights which is
to be a universal value.
The public administrative perspective sees the UN as an organization with its own
sectors and interests that compete with each other. So, a complex network of
organizations
General Assembly
● Made up of representatives of all 193 member states
● Arena for multilateral debate and diplomacy
● Adopts resolutions by simple or ⅔ majority
● Limited formal power
- Can only make non-binding recommendations
● Symbolic role:
- Put issues on the agenda
- Give voice to developing countries
