United Nations Bodies and Sovereignty

Study Notes

United Nations Bodies

There are six main bodies:
- The Security Council
- The General Assembly
- The Economic and Social Council
- The Secretariat (Secretary-General)
- The International Court of Justice
- The Trusteeship Council

General Assembly

The General Assembly has 193 members
The Holy See and the State of Palestine are observers
The Assembly meets in New York
The main part of the Assembly takes place from September to December
The resumed part of the Assembly takes place from January to September

The Thirty Years’ War and the Peace of Westphalia

The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) in Europe is considered the beginning of modern international relations
The Peace of Westphalia (1648):
- Established the principle of sovereignty
- Established the political rights of monarchs
- Laid the groundwork for the formation of the modern nation-state

Sovereignty

Internal Sovereignty:
- Refers to the monopoly of effective use of force inside a country
External Sovereignty:
- Refers to the recognition by other states as one of their peers

Congress of Vienna (1814–1815)

A series of high-level meetings meant to reorganize the European political boundaries after the Napoleonic Wars
The goal was reestablish the old monarchies and redistribute power among themselves to enable a balance of powers and keep peace

Balance of Power

It is a concept used to address a rising and threatening actor.
There are two main strategies:
- Building internal power: Increasing military budget, draft, ...
- Creating an alliance with other concerned nations: This is called the Balance of Power Process.
The Balance of Power Process:
- The process through which actors put their strength together to counter a rising and threatening actor.

World War I (1914–1918)

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the U.S., France, Russia, Italy, and Japan + smaller powers
More than 9 million soldiers and 40 million civilians were killed

World War II (1939-1945)

Approximately 3% of the world population died
70-85 Million people died

What is Theory?

A generalization that simplifies reality by focusing on key variables
It aims to understand events, explain outcomes, predict future occurrences, and potentially control events

The Nature of Theory

Theories have assumptions and variables:
- Assumptions are predetermined by an author
- Variables define the essential information a theory considers

Theories of International Relations

Theories aim to answer key questions:
- Main actors?
- Most important variable?
- Nature of Politics?
- Possibility of Change?
- Level of Analysis?

Main Actors in the International System

Nation-States
International Organizations
Multinational Corporations (MNC)
Non-governmental Organizations (NGO)
Non-state actors:
- Individual leaders
- Terrorist groups
- Famous individuals

Levels of Analysis

Global Level
Interstate Level
Domestic Level
Individual Level

Theories of International Relations

Realism
Liberalism
Constructivism
Historical Materialism
Feminism

Comparing Theories of International Relations

Each theory offers a different perspective:
- Main Actor
- Main Variables
- Nature of Politics
- Possibility of Change
- Level of Analysis

Realism

- Main Actor: States
- Main Variables: Military, Power
- Nature of Politics: Conflictual
- Possibility of Change: Pessimistic
- Level of Analysis: Interstate

Liberalism

- Main Actor: States and other actors
- Main Variables: Economic Power, Cooperation
- Nature of Politics: Cooperative
- Possibility of Change: Optimistic  
- Level of Analysis: Global, Interstate, Domestic, Individual

Constructivism

- Main Actor: States and other actors
- Main Variables: Ideational and material power
- Nature of Politics: Conflictual and Cooperative
- Possibility of Change: Optimistic
- Level of Analysis: Global, Interstate, Domestic

Historical Materialism

- Main Actor: Economic Classes
- Main Variable: Material Power
- Nature of Politics: Conflictual
- Possibility of Change: Optimistic
- Level of Analysis: Global