The study of international organizations challenges a popular assumption of international relations, i.e., that the international arena is anarchic and in a constant state of unbridled competition. Throughout history nation states and other international actors have felt the need to enter into arrangements with each other or join international organizations that facilitated cooperation and coordination. It has not been uncommon for sovereign states to give up part of their freedom of action in order to better achieve common goals, such as preserving peace and international stability, expanding international trade, or protecting their nationals abroad. From the treaties of Westphalia of 1648, to the Concert of Europe of the 19^th century and the League of Nations of the interwar period, sovereign states have agreed to be bound by more or less formal rules of international behavior when their interests required it. Since World War II these various forms of cooperation and coordination have expanded exponentially. This growth is due to many factors, including technological advances that facilitate cross-border interaction, changing political and cultural attitudes, the proliferation of influential non-state actors, and a growing sensitivity to certain problems (such as those related to international trade and finance, human rights, the environment, etc.) which cannot be effectively addressed by individual actors and thus require concerted international effort.

The development of international cooperation and coordination - often referred to as Global Governance - is therefore the result of both new opportunities and new needs. During our course we will review the principal factors driving the growth of international organizations and other arrangements, and explain how different types of needs and opportunities favored the creation of different forms of cooperation. We shall review and compare a sample of international institutions, multilateral agreements, and other types of formal and less formal arrangements.

What is Global Governance?

General theories of International Relations and Global Governance

The key components of Global Governance: International Governmental Organizations, NGOs, States, Multinational Corporations

Important global IGOs such as the United Nations, the WTO, the ILO, the IMF and the WB, the ICC.

Key regional IGOs: the African Union; ASEAN; the European Union, NATO, OCSE

The growing role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Other non-state actors in global governance: epistemic communities and multi-stakeholder actors

How powerful states and less powerful ones relate to global governance.

Peace and security: the complicated world of multinational peace-keeping and state-building

Civil and political rights: the role of NGOs as advocates and monitors; ECOSOC and other organs of the UN; the impact of international treaties.

Problems confronting global governance: refugees and IDPs, weapon proliferation, international terrorism, transnational crime, environmental protection.

Intrenational Terrorism and the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism.

Our main objective in this class is to develop an understanding of (and a renewed interest in) the following :

a) The leading theories of international organization;

b) The structure and inner workings of leading international institutions (both NGOs and IGOs);

c) How international arrangements - among states as well as among states and non-state actors - develop and take root; and

d) How Global Governance instruments are used to address some of the problems facing the international community.