International Relations: Theoretical PerspectiveInternational Public Management Year 2Week 6: The Contemporary World and International Relations (International Organizations, Globalization, International Terrorism, Religion and IR, The Environment)2014-2015, term 2 L. Van IJzendoorn, c.j.vanijzendoorn@hhs.nl RZ 4.07

Goals for today

• Most important economic organizations in the world:• Historical background• Position and tasks

• Some important current issues in IR: • Economic Globalization • The Environment • International Terrorism • Religion in IR • Changes in Contemporary Statehood

Note

• Today we discuss international economic organizations: IMF, WTO, Worldbank

NOT about f.e.• UN, African Union: International Law• European Union: (Mr. Crijns in 2nd year IPM)

Question: when were these organizations founded?

• IMF• WTO• World Bank

ANSWER

• IMF: 1945

• Worldbank: 1946 (first president)

• WTO: 1995• Predecessor: GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade: 1947)

• Just after World War II

• Lessons from the Thirties (Black Tuesday(Stock Market Crash), Great Depression)

1945, 1946, 1947…

GOAL:

International cooperation maintained by strong institutions

J.M. Keynes, chief of the British Delegation

Bretton woods, learning from past experiences

Keynes wanted:

• To ensure longterm trade, peace and prosperity

• Independent international institutions, overseeing:

• Monetary problems• Trade disputes• (Economic and Societal) Development• Capital flows

• USA became the new hegemon shortly after WWII

• USA wanted to take over the key economic positions itself

However…

The compromise:

Weak(er) international institutions as Keynes intended were founded:

Free trade: GATT Monetary Order: IMF Development: WorldBank

All with a strong position of national governments

The organizations

World Bank(IBRD)• Provide (cheap) loans to developing economies

• First: war-devastated Europe (infrastructure)

• Later: against poverty

• Monetary policy• Reports on national

economies (provide statistiscs)

• Research and Policy Advice for governments

• Assistance during crises (loans)

• Technical assistance and training in economic management for countries

• http://www.imf.org/external/about/history.htm

IMF

• Promotion of Free Trade

• However, never fully accepted (untill 1995)

• At first: Few members (23)

• 1995: transformed to WTO: currently 160 members

GATT

Economic Globalization

The spread and intensification of economic, social and cultural relations across international borders Increase of economic intercourse between national economies

Development of a consolidated global marketplace for production, distribution and consumption (‘qualitative shift’)

Views on Economic Globalization in IPE

Theoretical Views on Economic GlobalizationEconomic Liberals Realist-

MercantilistsNeo-Marxist

Qualitative shift towards a global economic system

Intensified economic interdependence

Economic Globalization is BOTH intensified interdependence and the creation of a global economy

Increased prosperity to individuals and companies

Corporations do NOT lose their national identities because they are global players (ties to home countries remain)

Nation-States remain important regulators but are losing power over the economy

Nation-State loses power and influence as it is ‘pressed form above’ and ‘pressed from below’

Nation-State’s capacity for regulation and surveillance has increased rather than decreased (as a result of technological development)

Economic \globalization uneven hierarichial process where economic power is increasingly concentrated in leading industrialized countries

The Environment: cooperation and conflict Environmental issues

Can involve interstate conflict over scarce resources: f.e. water in the Middle East (Jordan River Basin)

Can be a source of international cooperation to preserve the global commons f.e. ozone regime

Can also be a source of intra state conflict (soil erosion, population growth, migration)

Main positions in the debate: Modernists: The Environment is not a serious problem. Progress in knowledge and technology will enable us to protect the environment

Ecoradicals: Environment is a very serious problem. Drastic change of lifestyles plus population control to promote sustainable development is necessary

International Terrorism The unlawful use of or threatened use of

violence against civilians to achieve political, religious or similar objectives involving the territory or citizens of more than one country Goal: cause psychological effects that stretch beyond the direct victims (spread fear)

Modern media make international terrorism more prominent to the world

Return of the (physical) security issue on the national international political agendas

International terrorism (nowadays usually tied to radical Muslim Groups) is not an overriding, existential menace to states or their populations, but pose a clear threat to public security that must be taken seriously.

Religion in IR Current claim of an increasing importance of

religious beliefs, practices and discourses in personal and public life which affects IR

Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” (religion = core of a civilizations) is a problematic these Too little clarity on the complex pattern of religions,

cultures and civilizations (which end where?), identities are more diverse than the proposed religious- cultural features

Exact qualities connected with the religious-cultural labels are dynamic (in time), dynamic diverse within civilizations

BUT: Questions of identity and religion DO play an important role in contemporary IR (f.e. The “Je suis Charlie”-movement)

Changes in Contemporary Statehood Postmodern States are advanced states that

cooperate with other states to an extent that has created a very high level of economic, political and social integration between them (f.e. the EU) Multilevel governance in several interlocked arena overlapping each other (supranational, international transgovernmental and transnational relations)

Supranational elements in nationhood both in the ‘community of citizens’ (rights and obligations between citizens and the state) and ‘the community of sentiment’ (cultural-historical relations between citizens as a group)

‘Deep integration’: the major part of the economic activity is embedded in cross-border networks

The end of the classical security Dilemma in postmodern states!

The Hague UniversityPublic Administration, Law and Safety Academy070-445 7172c.j.vanijzendoorn@hhs.nlwww.thehagueuniversity.nl