Topic 10

Question 1

What is the foundational organizing principle of the international system

Answer 1

• Anarchy is the foundational organizing principle of the international system. Governance, not government, is key.

Question 2

Who is the ultimate authority in the international system?

Answer 2

• Sovereign states are the ultimate authority in the system, though there are important non-state actors.

Question 3

Describe the difference between an international system and an international society?

Answer 3

• International system: regularized patterns of interactions between states with shared fundamental institutions.
  
  • International society: regularized patterns of interaction between states with shared interests and manufactured institutions, such as international law.

Question 4

What are three components of international society?

Answer 4

• Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs): organizations formed between three or more states. Examples include NATO, the WTO, the EU, and the UN.
  
  • Diplomacy and shared ideas: regularized diplomatic relations between states, including shared norms and ideas, like human rights and environmental protection.
  • Economic interdependence: capitalism-driven globalization that integrates domestic economies into a global economy, including international trade and finance.

Question 5

What are three additional components of international society?

Answer 5

• Balance of power: the tendency of states to balance the power of other states, including nuclear weapons and security alliances.
  
  • Power imbalances: asymmetrical material capabilities (military, economic) and international influence that create great power, middle power, and small power states. Includes Global North and Global South relations.
  • International civil society: voluntary associations, independent of the state and the market, that work toward international political or economic change.

Question 6

What is the role of the United Nations in international society?

Answer 6

• The UN is a central component of international society.

Question 7

Describe the United Nations

Answer 7

• The UN is an intergovernmental organization with universal membership.
  
  • The UN is central to international peace and security, with a wide scope of global governance mandates that include development, sustainability, human rights, and humanitarian assistance.
  • The UN is a microcosm of international society.

Question 8

What is the Charter of the United Nations?

Answer 8

• The Charter was signed in 1945 by 51 states.
  
  • It is a legally-binding treaty and a foundation of international law.
  • It is the basis of the post-World War II international order.

Question 9

What did the Charter of the United Nations create and codify?

Answer 9

• The Charter created the United Nations.
  
  • It codified basic principles of international society, including legal sovereign equality amongst states, the prohibition on the use of force, self-defense, and respect for human rights.

Question 10

What are the roles of the General Assembly and the Security Council in the United Nations?

Answer 10

• General Assembly: The universal, multilateral body of the UN, which sets the international agenda and passes non-binding resolutions.
  
  • Security Council: The peace and security body of the UN, composed of 15 members. Five permanent members have veto power (P5), and 10 non-permanent members rotate.

Question 11

What is the International Court of Justice?

Answer 11

• The judicial wing of the UN, which settles inter-state disputes and offers legal opinions to the UN and its agencies.