CONTEMPORARY

WORLD
LESSON 2-GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM

Prepared By: MARIA CAROLINA P. LAYOG

 TARGET GOALS
• Identify the attributes of the Global Interstate System
• Explain the concept of State
• Evaluate the key roles of United Nations Organizations and other
International Non-Governmental Organizations in the Global
Interstate System
 STATE
The state is a political unit that has authority over its own affairs. In
other words, its borders are recognized by other countries. It is
assumed that whoever is in charge of those borders has the right to
determine exactly what is going to happen in their country.
 ELEMENTS OF THE STATE
• The state is a distinctive political community with its own set of rules and practices and that is more
or less separate from other communities. It has four elements:
• People, Territory, Government, and Sovereignty.
• The first element of a state is a permanent population. This population does not refer to a nomadic
people that move from one place to another in an indefinite time.
• This permanent presence in one location is strengthened by the second element of a state, a
defined territory.
• A territory has clear boundaries. A territory is effectively controlled by the third element,
government.
• The government regulates relations among its own people and with other states. This means that
the State is a formally constituted sovereign political structure encompassing people, territory, and
its institutions on the one hand, and maintaining its autonomy from other states on the other hand.
With globalization, some scholars suggest a decrease in the power of
the state and that other actors are actually becoming more powerful
Is the idea of the nation-state outdated in the contemporary world?
We will look at regional alliances and worldwide organizations of states.
This manifests the efforts of countries and governments in the world to
cooperate and collaborate together.
Today, the globalization of politics
created an atmosphere where the ideas
of the nation-state, state sovereignty,
government control, and state policies
are challenged from all sides.
• Claudio and Abinales (2018) stated that the world politics today has four key
attributes

1. There are countries or states that are independent and govern themselves.
2. These countries interact with each other through diplomacy.
3. There are international organizations, like the United Nations (UN), that facilitate
these interactions.
4. Beyond simply facilitating meetings between states, international organizations
also take on lives of their own. The UN, for example, apart from being a meeting
ground for presidents and other heads of state, also has task-specific agencies like
the World HealthOrganization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
 GLOBAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM
• is the whole system of human interactions.
• The modern world-system is structured politically as an
interstate system –a system of competing and allying states
 PURPOSE
To contribute to peace and security by promoting international
collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in
order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and
human rights along with fundamental freedom.
To prove that cooperation is possible and that states can resolve
problems collectively.
To provide arenas and mechanisms that states can use to interact and
cooperate with one another.
Who will stand as mediator, as judge or peace advocate
when war among nations happens?

Who do you think will resolve the conflict between

countries among countries?
• In this contemporary world, we are governed by a super body, the United
Nations. This is the one who will intervene, hear and resolve disputes
among its member nations. The Philippines is one of the members.
• There 193 member states of the United Nations (UN). The United Nation
was founded in 1945, just after the Second World War. The main organs
of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic
and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of
Justice, and the UN Secretariat.
 UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION
• Its operations began on October 24, 1945. It started with 50 representatives
from different Countries. Generally, it functions in four areas: military issues,
economic issues, environmental issues, and human protection. It is made up
of close to 200 countries from around the world, 193 member states to be
exact, with the Republic of Sudan as Its latest member (United Nations,
2011). The UN, with its headquarters in New York City, was designed to be a
place where countries could come to discuss their Issues without resorting
to violence and war, which had plagued our planet for several years in the
past. Maintaining peace and building friendships is the number one goal of
the UN, as well as providing a forum where 6 countries could gather to
discuss global issues. The General Assembly is the gathering of all of these
countries.
 GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative
organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the
General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
Each year, in September, the full UN membership meets in the General Assembly
Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session, and general debate,
which many heads of state attend and address. Decisions on important
questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and
budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly.
Decisions on other questions are by simple majority. The General Assembly,
each year, elects a GA President to serve a one-year term of office.
 Security Council

• The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the
maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members ( 5 permanent
and 10 non-permanent members).
• Each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to
comply with Council decisions. The Security Council takes the lead in determining
the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties
to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of
adjustment or terms of settlement.
• In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even
authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
The Security Council has a Presidency, which rotates, and changes, every month
 Economic and Social Council
• The Economic and Social Council is the principal body for
coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on
economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation
of internationally agreed development goals. It serves as the central
mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies
in the economic, social and environmental fields, supervising
subsidiary and expert bodies.
 The Trusteeship Council

• The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, under

Chapter XIII, to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that
had been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and
ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-
government and independence. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-
government or independence. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation
on 1 November 1994. By a resolution adopted on 25 May 1994, the Council
amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and
agreed to meet as occasion required --by its decision or the decision of its
President, or at the request of a majority of its members or the General
Assembly or the Security Council
 International Court of Justice
• The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the
United Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague
(Netherlands). It is the only one of the six principal organs of the
United Nations not located in New York (United States of America).
The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal
disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on
legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and
specialized agencies
 The Secretariat
• The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international
UN staff members who carry out the day n today work of the UN as mandated by the
General Assembly and the
• Organization's other principal organs.
• The Secretary- General is chief administrative officer of the Organization, appointed by the
• General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year,
renewable term. UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in
duty stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world. But serving the cause of
peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation. Since the founding of the United
Nations, hundreds of brave men and women have given their lives in its service.
• Maintaining international peace and security became the central mission
of the UN after the war. Up to this day, the UN is the major force in
governing interstate relations (Ritzer, 2015).
• According to the UN (2011), peace and security are maintained "by
working to prevent conflict;
• helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating the
conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish." The UN also has what is
known as the Security Council. This group of Countries decides what to do
when two or more countries are waging war or are on the verge of
fighting. There are five permanent members of the UN Security Council-
the United States, Britain, Russia, China, and France. In addition to the
five members, 10 additional countries join the permanent members for
two-year terms, making a total of 15 countries. The Security Council tries
to be the arbiter in ceasefires between two sides.
 LIMITATIONS OF UNO
1.Due to a power-play among the member states, the UN cannot take
any strong stance against politically and economically powerful,
despite the clear cases of gross violations of human rights.
2. UN’s interference to domestic affairs that causes erosion of
sovereignty
3. Disrupts the Balance of Power that puts peace and security at stake
 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND -
WB
Is an international organization of 190 member countries that works to
ensure the stability of the international monetary and financial system.
The IMF’s mandate includes facilitating the expansion and balanced
growth of international trade, promoting exchange stability, and
providing the opportunity for the orderly correction of countries’
balance of payments problems. The IMF was established in 1945.
The IMF has three critical missions:
1.furthering international monetary cooperation,
2. encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and
3. discouraging policies that would harm prosperity. To fulfill
these missions, IMF member countries work collaboratively with
each other and with other international bodies.
 NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS
• As a group that functions independently of any government. It is
usually non-profit. NGOs, sometimes called civil society organizations,
are established on community, national, and international levels to
serve a social or political goal such as a humanitarian cause or the
protection of the environment.
• For example, NGOs might focus on activities in areas involving health
or health emergencies, education, infrastructure, advocacy of
minority rights, support of the poor, and the reduction of crime.
 LIMITATIONS OF NGOs
1. Many NGOs lack resources
2. NGOs that share the same advocacies compete for donors
3. NGOs do not have material powers like military and police
4. NGOs’ accountability
5. How do they maintain transparency?
6. Do NGOs only reflect liberal values?
 INTERNATIONAL NGOs
• AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
• GREENPEACE
• RED CROSS
• WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
• DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
 GREEN PEACE INTERNATIONAL
• Greenpeace International is an independent NGO founded in 1971
and it is comprised of 27 independent national and regional
organizations present in over 55 countries across different continents.
The organization works directly with communities and people who
are fighting to protect their environment.
 WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
• The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the world’s leading conservation
NGO founded in 1961 with the mandate to protect and preserve the
wilderness and reduce the human impact on environment. Its mission
is to conserve the nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the
diversity of life on Earth. The organization works in six main areas:
wildlife, food, fresh water, climate, forests and oceans.
 INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE
RED CROSS
• These organizations are the individual societies of nearly every independent
country in the world, chartered by their respective governments. Together, the
National Societies assist one in 65 people in the world each year by:

• Providing relief to disaster survivors

• Educating the public about how to prevent the spread of disease
• Helping communities prepare for emergencies, including providing first aid training
• Reconnecting families separated by disasters and conflict in coordination with the
ICRC
• Promoting international humanitarian law
 DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
• Doctors without Borders (MSF) is an international, independent
medical humanitarian NGO providing medical assistance to people
affected by disasters, epidemics and conflicts. It is composed of health
care, logistics and administrative professionals working in the most
fragile contexts of the world.
 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
• Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million
people who take injustice personally. It campaigns for a world where
human rights are enjoyed by all. It is funded by members and
volunteers. They are independent of any political ideology, economic
interest or religion. No government is beyond scrutiny. No situation is
beyond hope.
TAKE AWAYS
 ASSESSMENT
• What is a Global Interstate System?
• How does it work?
• How did it change the concept of states?
• What roles did UNO and the NGOs play in the world today?
 REFERENCES
• https://www.crisisgroup.org/sb006-ten-challenges-un-2021-2022
• https://irows.ucr.edu/papers/irows86/irows86.htm
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-017-0033-0
• https://historiaetageografia3.wordpress.com/the-state/