Supranational institutions Notes

Supranational Institutions: How Do Global Institutions Manage Cooperation?

1. Why Supranational Organisations Exist

1. Countries need formal systems to prevent conflict and manage disputes.
2. Global problems (war, disease, trade, refugees) cross borders and require coordinated responses.
3. Institutions help build trust by creating rules, negotiation forums, and predictable behaviour.

2. The League of Nations (1920–1939)

1. Purpose and Structure
   1. Created after WWI to promote peace through collective security.
   2. Main bodies: General Assembly, Council, Secretariat, International Labour Organization, Court of International Justice.
2. What It Tried to Do
   1. Resolve disputes through diplomacy and sanctions.
   2. Improve global health, labour rights, and refugee support.
   3. Encourage disarmament.
3. Why It Failed
   1. USA never joined, weakening credibility and resources.
   2. Major powers (Germany, Japan, Italy, USSR) often absent or hostile.
   3. No army → decisions unenforceable.
   4. Sanctions were slow, weak, or economically risky for members.
   5. Failed to stop Japan in Manchuria, Italy in Abyssinia, or Hitler’s expansion.

3. The United Nations (1945–Present)

1. How It Was Created
   1. Inspired by the Atlantic Charter (1941).
   2. Dumbarton Oaks (1944) established structure.
   3. Yalta (1945) gave the “Big Four” veto power.
   4. San Francisco Conference (1945) drafted the UN Charter.
2. Why the UN Was More Effective
   1. Major world powers joined from the start.
   2. Security Council can issue binding decisions.
   3. Peacekeeping forces (“Blue Helmets”).
   4. Can impose sanctions or authorise military action.
   5. Decision-making more flexible than the League’s unanimity rule.

4. The Six Organs of the UN

1. General Assembly
   1. One vote per state; discusses issues; passes non-binding recommendations.
2. Security Council
   1. Five permanent members with veto; ten rotating members.
   2. Can impose sanctions, deploy peacekeepers, or authorise force.
3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
   1. Oversees development, health, education, welfare; coordinates agencies like WHO and UNESCO.
4. International Court of Justice
   1. Settles legal disputes between states; issues advisory opinions.
5. Trusteeship Council
   1. Managed territories moving toward self-rule; mission effectively completed by 1994.
6. Secretariat
   1. Administrative arm of the UN; led by the Secretary-General.

5. UN Specialised Agencies

1. WHO: global health and disease control.
2. IMF: financial stability and emergency funding.
3. World Bank: development loans and poverty reduction.
4. UNESCO: culture, education, and heritage.
5. FAO: food security.
6. IAEA: nuclear monitoring and safety.
7. WTO: international trade rules.
8. ILO: labour standards and workers’ rights.

6. Why Supranational Institutions Matter

1. They offer a peaceful alternative to war through negotiation and shared rules.
2. They stabilise the international system with standards and institutions.
3. They coordinate global responses to crises no country can solve alone.

7. How successful are supranational institutions like the UN?

1. Successes
   1. Prevented great power war since 1945.
   2. Over 70 peacekeeping missions, many successful.
   3. International law framework (ICJ rulings, treaties).
   4. Humanitarian achievements: smallpox eradication, child health, labour rights.
   5. Support for decolonisation: over 80 colonies gained independence.
2. Failures / limitations
   1. Security Council veto blocks action in major crises.
   2. Peacekeeping often underfunded or too slow.
   3. Major powers interfere (US/USSR rivalry, now US/China/Russia).
   4. Neutrality cannot fix deep political conflicts (e.g., Syria).
   5. Some missions become political battlegrounds instead of peace efforts.

Case study

Korea, 1950–53

• Why it happened
  • Korea divided at 38th parallel after WW2.
  • North Korea (USSR-backed) invaded South Korea (US-backed).
  • USSR boycotting the UN, so couldn’t veto US-backed intervention.
• UN actions
  • Security Council authorised military force.
  • Multinational UN forces drove North Koreans back; Chinese intervention pushed war into stalemate.
• Outcome
  • Ceasefire in 1953: border unchanged.
  • UN showed ability to act fast but only because USSR wasn't present to veto.

Case study

Arab–Israeli War, 1967

• Background
  • Egypt asked UN peacekeepers to leave and blockaded the Straits of Tiran.
  • Israel attacked Egypt and allies → Six-Day War.
• UN actions
  • Called for ceasefire.
  • Passed Resolution 242: withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories; recognition of every state’s right to exist.
• Outcome
  • Resolution became basis for decades of peace talks, but wasn’t implemented immediately.

Case study

Congo Crisis, 1960

• Background
  • Congo gained independence from Belgium; chaos followed (mutiny, secession of Katanga).
  • Belgium intervened illegally, USSR supported rival factions.
• UN actions
  • Sent 10,000 troops: one of largest early missions.
  • Tried to prevent civil war while staying politically neutral.
  • Eventually forced Katanga to rejoin Congo.
• Outcome
  • Congo united by 1963 but mission nearly bankrupted the UN.
  • Accused of “shedding blood in the name of peace.”