¶ … GLOBAL GOVENANCE UNITED NATIONS & REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
The foundations and basic ideas of Global Governance are examined in the book 'International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance' (Karns & Mingst, 2009). In the report below, three chapters from this text are first summarized, and then subsequently analyzed and discussed. Sections addressed are Chapter 3 - 'Foundation of the Pieces of Global Governance'; Chapter 4 - 'The United Nations: Centerpiece of Global Governance'; and Chapter 5 - 'Regional Organizations'.
For Chapter 3, a historical basis, beginning with Confucius, is developed for inter-national cooperation; this then leads to a discussion of the 'state' system (Karns and Mingst, 2009, 64). The current complexity of international organizations developed out of first the state system and then from international rules, in a slow development from early recorded history to the present (Karns and Mingst, 2009). As the authors state, Pierre Dubois proposed political alliances of leaders 'against violators of the prevailing norm', with arbitration by the Pope should disputes arise. The Italian city-states are discussed as early models of governance during the 14th and 15th centuries (Karns and Mingst, 2009). During the 19th century, inter-governmental developments began to occur, leading to political advancements. As discussed by Karns and Mingst (2009), when Napoleon was defeated in 1815 there arose 'five major European powers-Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, and Russia'; this large political change led to peace, relatively speaking among the predominant political players of the period. The concept of states having the complete 'right' to do as they wished was not uniformly accepted, and this shift from individual 'states' having their own rights towards a wider perspective began to be more uniformly accepted.
Development of international organizations in the 20th century began to have an impact. For example, the World Health Organization as well as the Universal Postal Union, and the Food and Agricultural Organization have seriously affected member countries. It is generally accepted that such globalization is due to the influence of the United Nations (Karns and Mingst, 2009).
Chapter 4 discusses the United Nations in detail, as 'the central place of global governance" (Karns and Mingst, 2009). The role of the United Nations, and its importance, in politics internationally has varied since its formation. According to Karns and Mingst (2009), the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Summit had a major global impact raising the role of the United Nations to the fore. As well, the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, awarded jointly to United Nations (U.N.) and Kofi Annan (the 7th Secretary General of the United Nations) 'for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world' had an enormous global impact (Nobel Prize, 2014).
For the United Nations, the central governing principle is that of the 'sovereign equality of member states' (Karns and Mingst, 2009). In practice, this means that individual factors such as wealth, size (landmass), population, military power, or even having/not having the nuclear bomb, have no effect on the basic equality of individual member states of the United Nations. Guiding principles for the United Nations member states include that they must [1] avoid "threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state', and [2] that all members of the United Nations are required to 'settle their international disputes by peaceful means' (Karns and Mingst, 2009). The basic structure of the United Nations is comprised of the Secretariat, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice, the General Assembly, the Trusteeship Council, and the Economic and Social Council.
Despite many positive considerations concerning the United Nations, many feel that reform is necessary (Karns and Mingst, 2009), particularly with respect to certain structural weaknesses, as well as to financing issues. As the actuality of a more completely connected global society increases, the United Nations itself needs to change to reflect what is ongoing; it is accepted that reform is needed, but the precise nature and best direction for that reform is not yet clear (Karns and Mingst, 2009). While there have been historic attempts to change the United Nations, such as the 1970's focus on improved coordination of social and economic programs, and the 1980's focus on reform of UN financing, the United Nations may perhaps not yet be all that one hopes it may become (Karl and Mingst, 2009). The precise manner in which the UN will move forward is as yet unclear, but as a global governing body, it is presently the only one available, regardless of its flaws.
The major focus of Chapter 5 is a shift towards regional influence...
Countries once not dominant politically have become points of focus, as politics have changed in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas (Karl and Mingst, 2009). Some describe the new interactions as the beginnings of a new 'global landscape', which might in some sense parallel the earliest political communities and their regionalities (Karl and Mingst, 2009).
Regionalism has begun to rise, even as global governance is becoming dominant. Each global area has a different 'personality', which could be described as its national identity. For example, the legal systems of Asia and Europe vary, with much of the European legal system being based upon legal/political history such as the Magna Carta (Karl and Mingst, 2009). Different political systems and styles have become topics of research with respect to both their effectiveness and the origins of such variations. This chapter addressed a variety of theories and factors explaining the various political systems, regional activities, and specific issues such as the environment, human rights, health and economic well being, particularly with respect to both regional and global aspects (Karl and Mingst, 2009).
Governance at an international level is accomplished through interactions of international organizations; these have had a generally positive affect on development globally (Dwivedi, 2012). However, there is debate concerning the role of international governance, particularly with respect to their effects on national politics. There are different theoretical approaches to analysis of the impact of international organizations (Dwivedi, 2012). Many of these describe the role of the United Nations as a critically important factor in the rise of global governance.
Indeed, one wonders how the United States political system might differ were it not for the impact of the United Nations. For example, international law, international security, international relations on an economic basis, contemporary international affairs, international health issues, and the global environment are all issues which have risen to prominence in part because of the United Nations (Dwivedi, 2012). No longer does one single country dominate global politics but the global politics have become predominant, such as with conflicts between countries and the role of international organizations in trying to stem such conflicts. To date, the international organizations have not been wholly successful in such attempts, however, the global community is being listened to, regardless of the apparent small steps of progress that are presently observable. Dwivedi (2012) states that over time, the legitimacy and effectiveness of international institutions may decrease, in part due to how they have handled particular crises, and as well due to need for change and/or development within the international organization itself. For example, there are known cases where the actions of the United Nations have been ineffective, or the UN's very failure to act has been condemned. Some of these problems are due to the structural foundations of the UN, which may need revisiting if it is to remain an effective body (Dwivedi, 2012). Regardless, the United Nations is the closest at present to a system of global governance that we have, and it is in many ways the model of what an international organization is capable of. While the United Nations has its own problems, it also offers hope and the potential of success (Karl and Mingst, 2009).
From reading Karl and Mingst (2009), my understanding has deepened about the entire concept of achieving global institutions. The concept of 'transparency' is perhaps surprisingly critical, as it relates to global governance and both its effectiveness and its accountability. Accountability may not be easy to achieve with respect to global governance. The world today is not that of the 20th century, and the pace of change is indeed rapid (Dwivedi, 2012). Recent global events have placed an even greater focus on many international organizations and their structures of governance, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, The United Nations Security Council, and the G-8. As well, global health issues, such as the Ebola crisis in Africa have led countries throughout the world to consider how problems in just one area can affect of us.
Both weak and strong nations are impacted by international organizations. The forward momentum of global governance is at least partially controlled by the need for altered perspectives in terms of cultural, political, and socioeconomic thinking globally, and particularly with respect to disparities between developed countries and what have been called 'third-world' countries (Dwivedi, 2012). Security cannot be achieved in a vacuum; the rapid global communication and travel mean that each of us may actually impact and be…
