Unit 3:To what extent should internationalism be pursued



Unit 3: To what extent should internationalism be pursued?

Chapter 9: Nations, Nation-States, and Internationalism

Motives of Nations and Nation-States

All humans are motivated by both needs and wants.

Needs are the basic elements of life: water, shelter, food, clothing, health…

Wants are the things people want, regardless if the desired items contribute to their survival.

How Does Internationalism Benefit Nations and Nation-States?

After two terrible world wars in the 20th century nation-states began to work together to prevent similar wars and to improve everyone’s security and prosperity.

Internationalism and Peace and Security

The League of Nations had failed at keeping the peace after World War I. But, after World War II people did not give up on the idea of world peace. A new international body was formed to achieve this goal: The United Nations. The UN provides a forum for nation-states to discuss their disputes and concerns without resorting to violence. The UN has not stopped all armed conflicts, but there hasn’t been another world war.

Internationalism and Economic Stability

The countries that formed the UN believed that the great depression of the 1930s had helped to encourage ultranationalism. To prevent similar crises the UN created several new organizations:

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were created to help nations recover from the destruction of WWII. Today they provide financial and technical help to developing countries.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995. The WTO tries to promote freer trade and settle trade disputes between countries.

Internationalism and Self-Determination

At the start of the 20th century, many parts of the world were colonies of European countries. As time went on most colonized areas gained their independence. However, in many places the voices of indigenous people have been ignored.

Indigenous people have begun to work together to gain Self-Determination in international organizations like the International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). After lobbying the UN for 20 years, the UN adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, which confirms their right to Self-Determination.

Internationalism and Humanitarianism 

International organizations have been very successful at responding to humanitarian emergencies. For Example, the Tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004. More than 200 000 people in 11 countries were killed and millions more needed help. People over the world wanted to help and donations poured in. International relief agencies like the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders supplied food, clean water, and medical aid.

Nation-states and their responses to the world

When choosing how to respond to the world, nation-states can choose from a range of possibilities such as isolationism, unilateralism, bilateralism, multilateralism, and supranationalism.

Isolationism

This is when a country opts out of participating in international social, economic, political, and military affairs.

Examples of this:

Japan: until 1854. They had complete isolation for two centuries. Foreigners and trade were discouraged.

Switzerland: participates in some international affairs but refuses to take part in disputes and military alliances.

Unilateralism

Is when a country is motivated to respond to events on their own.

This became an issue during nuclear arms race, which pitted the USA and its allies against the USSR and its allies.

Bilateralism

When two countries are motivated by the same issue or need.

It is an agreement between two countries.

For example, Canada and the USA entered the Air Quality Agreement. Both countries are required to work towards reducing toxic emissions that cause acid rain.

Multilateralism

Includes many countries working together on an issue.

The United Nations and WTO are multilateral.

Supranationalism

This is an approach that involves agreeing to abide by the decisions of an international organization made up of independent appointed officials or representatives by member states.

Member states must give up some control of their own affairs and adhere to the policies of the organization.

Example: European Union.

Chapter 10: Foreign Policy and Internationalism

Setting Foreign Policy

In a democracy, setting foreign policy can be complex. The government must set a policy that reflects the citizens beliefs, values, and goals.

Many individuals, groups and collectives influence the governments decisions on foreign policy.

Foreign Policy Goals

Foreign policy goals help to guide the actions of governments.

It is important for a government to set goals that reflect the values of its citizens.

Along with governments, multinational corporations and international business, labour and humanitarian also play important roles when setting foreign policy goals and making.

Promoting Internationalism through Foreign Policy

Many countries use their foreign policy to help promote internationalism by supporting initiatives that encourage world peace.

Canada may develop foreign policies that encourage struggling states to become economically successful and self-supporting.

Some countries impose economic sanctions to promote peace. Economic sanctions are when countries cut off trade from a particular country to force it to follow a particular course of action.

An example of this is when the UN placed economic sanctions on Iraq. The hope was that it would force Iraq to co-operate with the UN.

In actuality, it hurt Iraqi’s more than it helped them. When the sanctions where into place, medicines such as the vaccine for Polio were on the no-trade list. Because of this, Polio re-emerged in Iraq.

Peacekeeping and Internationalism

When countries join the UN, they agree to support the actions of the Security Council (the most powerful decision-making body of the UN).

Countries are required to keep armed forces available for the Councils’ use.

This force is used to protect the collective security (protecting all those who belong from danger) of all UN members.

Peacekeepers are not peacemakers.

They are only sent into conflict zones when a ceasefire has been negotiated and they set up a buffer zone between the conflicting groups.

Peacekeepers help carry out agreements reached by the UN and the governments that have negotiated by these agreements.

They also protect people involved in humanitarian efforts.

Peacekeeper must adhere to the following guidelines:

Consent – Peacekeepers must respect the sovereignty of the host country

Impartiality – Peacekeepers must not take sides

Self-Defence – Peacekeepers may use force only to defend themselves.

Most peacekeeping missions have been successful. However, in the 1990s there have been many failures.

One failure was in the former Yugoslavia. Despite the peacekeepers presence, the fighting and killing continued. The peacekeepers were helpless to do anything due to their limited numbers and orders to avoid using force. Genocide was also prevented against the Muslims in Bosnia.

In 1994, UN peacekeepers were unable to prevent genocide once again. This time in Rwanda.

Romeo Dallaire was in charge of the mission and warned the UN of a possible genocide. He requested more troops but was denied.

By the end of the conflict, more than 800,000 Rwandans were killed - most of them Tutsis.

International Law and Agreements

Co-operation among countries is important when the national interest or foreign policy of one country conflicts with that of another country.

To resolve this, international law has developed.

International law is based on international treaties, agreements, and conventions; UN resolutions; and widely accepted international practices.

International law is interpreted by the UN’s International Court of Justice, or World Court.

This court attempts to settle international disputes peacefully but not all countries cooperate. Some countries are reluctant to recognize its authority or abide by its decisions. This is because they do not want to give up the control make their own decisions.

An example of international law is the International Law of the Sea.

This agreement sets out the rules of the high seas – or waters that lie beyond the territorial waters of any country.

Territorial waters are those that extend 22 km from a country’s coast. It gives coastal countries the exclusive right to control fishing, mining and the environment in an area up to 370 km from shore.

Foreign Aid and Internationalism

Countries also promote internationalism by delivering foreign aid.

Every year billions of dollars are transferred from developed countries to developing countries.

The money is used to purchase medical supplies, food, clothing, and building supplies.

It is also sometimes used to develop infrastructure projects such as sewage treatment facilities and road building.

An example is:

0.7 Per Cent Solution: This challenges the world’s richest countries to spend 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI). The GNI is the total value of the goods and services produced in a country in a year. To date, only Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have met or exceeded this target.

Criticism of Foreign Aid Policy

While many nations help others due to humanitarianism, there are those who help countries for strategic and political interests, as well as historical relationships between the two countries.

Sometimes, aid is offered in the form of tied aid. When aid is tied, it means that there are stings attached. Donor countries may issue credits that require the countries receiving the aid to buy goods and services only from them.

This has been criticized because sometimes the items are of poor quality.

Also, if a country can buy from other countries, they can receive a better quality product or they can buy from other developing nations. This promotes trade and helps boost the economy of developing countries.

Ensuring the aid arrives to those who need it and not to corrupt governments is also a challenge.

Another challenge is the time it takes to get to the people. Due to the size of the organizations and errors that can occur, shipments are delayed.

Canadian Foreign Policy and the Balance of National Interest and Internationalism

Countries try to develop foreign policy that balances their national interest and internationalism. Building strong relations with other countries is important but promoting ones national interest is just as important.

Striking a balance between national interests and internationalism can be difficult. Many events such as natural disasters or the attacks of Sept. 11/01 can change the world unexpectedly.

These events can change agreements and make them ineffective. Agreements then need to be renegotiated.

What are Canada’s continuing Foreign Affairs and International Trade priorities? Copy them into you notes. Page 237.

Chapter 11: Internationalism and Nationalism

How have changing world conditions promoted the need for internationalism?

As we become more interconnected to others around the world, challenges can no longer be confined to the borders of a single country.

An example of this is SARS. In 2002, it was an unidentified disease. A farmer had died from in. Three months later, an American traveling to China and died from the same illness. Those who treated him also became sick and the illness spread. By 2003, it was contained but the illness was reported in 26 countries.

The world faces the challenges of disease, terrorism and climate change. Because of these challenges countries need to co-operate to find multilateral solutions.

We are also interconnected now through technology. We can easily travel from one part of the world to another in a matter of hours. These promotes internationalism.

This can lead to the global village. People can relate to one another on a global scale through the internet. There are no barriers to prevent people from interacting with one another.

Not everyone has a positive attitude towards the global village.

In researching the social effects of the internet, researchers have found that people seek connections with those who have similar values to their own.

As a result, these people become less likely to trust important decisions from those who have differing values. For example, government.

This is called voluntary balkanization. This is the separation of like-minded people into isolated groups that are hostile to people whose values differ from their own. This separation may result in a lose of shared experiences and values and can harm the structure of democratic society.

How have the UN’s changing international responses affected nationalism?

There is much debate about the effectiveness of peacekeeping and peacemaking. Many do not feel that internationalism will bring peace to the world.

There have been many cases of aggressive states, failed states and revolutionary movements that have challenged international order and the goals of the UN.

The failures in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia have led some to question the effectiveness of the UN.

Because of this the UN has decided to re-examine its goals.

A panel of diplomats and international leader examined the future of the UN and came up with recommendations.

It was recommended that the UN relax its tradition of staying out of internal conflicts (conflicts that occur within countries).

The report states that the UN has the responsibility to protect people when the state violates or fails to uphold the rights and welfare of their own citizens. This intervention could take the form of humanitarian operations, monitoring missions, diplomacy or as a last resort, military force.

Iran’s conflict with the UN

Although a number of countries have already developed nuclear weapons, the UN is trying to limit the spread of these weapons because of the threat they pose.

Iran has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while allowing countries to develop nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes such as generating electrical power.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (Part of the UN) monitors whether countries are following the terms of the treaty.

In 2003, the IAEA reported that Iran had been secretly enriching uranium for the last 18 years.

This secrecy has aroused the suspicions of the Western members of the IAEA and they have called on the country to stop enriching uranium.

Iran has refused to stop claiming that it is in their national interest to create nuclear power.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country’s president, has made some very controversial statements in the past and this has led countries to believe that the uranium enrichment is not for nuclear energy but nuclear weapons.

Protecting Common Human Heritage

In 1945, the UN created the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO.

UNESCO promotes international co-operation in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication and works to create respect for the shared values of every civilization and culture.

UNESCO has created a list of human cultural features that are important to all people. They believe that peace will be promoted if people know about and help preserve this common human heritage.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site could be a cultural site or a natural site.

In Canada, Dinosaur Provincial Park or Waterton Glacier International Peace Park would be natural sites.

Cultural sites in Canada would be the historic district of Old Quebec City or the L’Anse aux Meadows of Newfoundland where the Vikings first came to Canada.

There are also threats to common human heritage.

Countries control what happens within their borders. They control how infrastructure is designed and how to affirm and promote their culture.

UNESCO strives to protect these sites.

However, there are countries that feel these plans interfere with their plans.

In 2001, the Taliban in Afghanistan destroyed two ancient statues of Buddha. They destroyed these “idols” in the name of Islam.

How do the responses of various international organizations affect nationalism?

Just as there are forces that shape globalization, these same forces shape internationalism – trade, safer and faster transportation, and improved communications.

These forces increase the contact between countries on a governmental and non-governmental level.

Some believe that this is both beneficial and harmful. It allows for co-operation among nations but also may take away the sovereignty of nation-states.

Economic Organizations

The World Trade Organization is set to reduce trade barriers and promote growth and development that will improve the standards of living and reduce poverty in less developed nations. There are down sides to the WTO. Water is a commodity that be traded according to WTO standards. This means that Canada could be forced to sell water to the USA even if it’s not in Canada’s best interests.

The European Union is another economic organization. It has set up one of the largest free trade zones in the country. They have also established a common currency known as the Euro. There are also downsides to this organization. Not all countries use the Euro. They fear that it is not in their national interest. Also, adopting a common constitution is very difficult. This means that all must follow the constitution of the whole rather than follow their national interests.

Cultural and Language based Organizations

There are many groups that have formed international organizations based on language and culture. Some are non-governmental and others are governmental.

For example, the Artic Council. It is made up of Canada, the USA, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. These countries work together to find strategies to protect the fragile environment of the Artic. It also includes the Indigenous peoples who live in this region.

La Francophonie is an organization that is committed to promoting French culture and language. They also promote a vision of international co-operation and support human rights.

Security Organizations

Many nations have always formed defensive military alliances to ensure their security.

When the Cold War began, the Western countries of Europe and those of North America feared the military threat of the Soviet Union. Thus they formed NATO in 1949.

NATO members agreed that an attack on one member was an attack on all. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1980s, NATO began to take on peacemaking missions, such as the mission in Afghanistan.

Other nations have also formed alliances. Russia and other former Soviet Republics have formed the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Chapter 12: Internationalism and Global Issues

Contemporary Global Issues

Climate Change

Ocean currents and prevailing winds do not follow boundaries. Pollution created in one country can be carried to other countries.

In 1997, the Kyoto Accord was proposed. This is an international attempted to control greenhouse gas emissions.

Developed countries, like Canada, have signed this accord. They have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by the year 2020.

Canada has now backed away from meeting this goal as it would cost $51 billion.

If Canada does not follow the Kyoto Accord, it will be seen as one of the worst polluters of the world’s developed countries.

Only the US and Belgium rank lower than Canada.

The Spread of Disease

The spread of disease is also a contemporary global issue even though it has been around for years.

In the 14th century, the Black Death swept across Europe, Asia, and Africa killing up 125 million people.

In 1918, returning soldiers from WWI brought a killer flu virus with them. This virus killed up to 50 million people, including more than 50 000 Canadians.

SARS spread to 26 countries and killed nearly 800 people between 2002 and 2003.

The WHO (World Health Organization) is at the centre of international efforts to identify, monitor, and control health threats, including deadly diseases.

WHO co-ordinates health measures that limits the spread of diseases.

According to WHO, the last major influenza pandemic was in 1918.

On the basis of past experience, the WHO predicts that three to four pandemics occur every 100 years. Therefore, they feel that it is only a matter of time that the next one hits.

In response to this threat, the WHO has set up the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network that co-ordinates groups to prevent a large outbreak.

Access to Water

Estimates suggest that Canada has up to 20 per cent of the world’s fresh water. Most Canadians have access to clean water.

Most people in the world do not. The UN has estimated that 1.1 billion people had inadequate access to water and more than 2.5 billion had inadequate to sanitation.

In addition, more than 2 million children have died of diseases caused by unclean water.

Should water rich nations such as Canada share their water?

Use of Internationalism to address contemporary global issues

Internationalism and Poverty

In 2006, the World Bank estimated that more than a billion people (out of the 6.65 billion people in the world) lived in absolute poverty.

Absolute poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information.

An example of absolute poverty is in Iraq. 43% of the population lives in absolute poverty. Many basic services are not provided to the people.

Poverty will often cause many other problems. Poverty can lead to people going hungry, not having access to clean water which can cause sickness, and in some cases people may even go to war to get what they need to survive.

Causes and effects:

Lack of education: some children cannot afford to school and they need to go to work with their families to help bring in money. Without a basic education, they cannot find higher paying jobs.

Lack of access to resources: millions of farmers do not have access to resources (land, water, credit, and access to markets) that they need to survive. The soil may be of poor quality or there may not be water to help the seeds grow. Seeds may also cost too much.

Conflict and war: many people have been forced to leave their homes because of war. As refugees, they have a difficult time finding jobs and earning money.

Trade rules: international trade rules such as tariffs (taxes) or bans on certain products can affect farmers, labourers and factory workers. They cannot sell their goods or services if the tariffs are too high or there is a ban on the products they produce.

Discrimination: in some countries, those who are part of a minority group sometimes have limited access to jobs, resources, and government help.

Internationalism and Hunger

Poverty can lead to hunger, malnutrition, and starvation. As of 2008, 20000 people (including 18000 children) die of hunger every day.

The world faces the challenge to try to reduce the number of hungry people by half. This is proving to be difficult and may not be achieve for a long time.

There are both short term and long term challenges when it comes to hunger. Some countries may need relief due to a natural disaster that has destroyed their crops. Others need more long term help. For example, soil conservation or irrigation.

Internationalism and Disease

Poverty can also lead to disease. Those who do not have healthy food cannot fight disease as well as those who do. They also cannot afford the medicine or the education to learn how to prevent disease.

HIV and AIDS are at higher levels in Africa than in developed countries around the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 1.6 million people died of AIDS in 2007.

An estimated 22.5 million are living with the virus.

Few people in Africa can afford the drugs that are needed for AIDS and many countries do not have the resources to deal with it.

While there have been programs to help the growing issue of AIDS, it has not been enough. By 2006, only 28% of those who needed treatment were receiving treatment for AIDS.

Internationalism and Debt

Many of the worlds poorest countries must spend so much money to pay off their debts that they have little to no money left over to provide health, education, and social services to their people.

For example, the Jamaican government borrowed money from the World Bank, IMF, and private banks. They had thought that they could repay the loans as the Jamaican economy grew. If more people were working, then they would be paying more taxes. However, the economy did not grow and people lost their jobs. If they are not working, then they are paying less taxes. The government owed $6.5 billion. More than 10% of their tax revenues go to pay off this debt and the government has less money to spend on services for its people.

Odious debt is debt that results from a loan to a government that uses the money to oppress the people of its country or for its own personal use.

A debt become odious if:

It is acquired without the permission of the people

Does not benefit the country’s people

The lender of the money was aware of these two conditions

A country that has had odious debt is South Africa during its time of apartheid. The government had borrowed approximately $18 billion to enforce its racist laws.

Because non-white South Africans were not allowed to vote, they had no say in the governments decision to borrow the money. Also, the money did not benefit them in any way. Lastly, governments who loaned South Africa this money, knew about the apartheid laws and the tactics used by the government.

Internationalism and Climate Change

Climate change is an issue that many have begun to focus on in the 21st century.

In North America, people burn a lot of fossil fuels to heat their homes, run their cars, airplanes, and industries. The greenhouse gases that are created due to the use of fossil fuels are a major cause of climate change.

Another factor is the destruction of the worlds rainforests. These forests are cut down for logging, ranching, farming, and mining. Fewer trees are left to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to help reduce the effects of climate change.

Many governments are starting to work together to reduce CO2 emissions that cause climate change. For example,

Internationalism and Human Rights

After the atrocities of the Nazi regime came to light after WWII, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This was supposed to guarantee that everyone in the world would have “the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

When a country violates the rights of its own citizens or the citizens of another country, then the UN can take action to stop the abuse. However, because of political alliance and loyalties, this does not always happen.

Before the UN can act, all five permanent members (USA, Britain, France, China, and Russia) must agree on it. A Majority of the other Security Council members must also agree. If only one permanent member does not agree, the UN cannot act.

And example of this was in the country of Myanmar. In 2007, the people held a peaceful protest against the military rulers of the country. They had wanted to have a say in how their country was run. As a result, the rulers killed the protestors and arrested the Buddhist monks who were the leaders of the protests. The UN Security council was approached and asked to stop the abuses. However, China and Russia said that Myanmar was a sovereign nation and that no other country could force change there. The UN did nothing.

In May of 2008, a cyclone killed tens of thousands of people in Myanmar. Survivors were left without food, shelter, or clean water. The military rulers refused to let aid into the country. They were warned that they could be charged with crimes against humanity if they did not allow aid in for the people and by late May 2008, UN agencies and some medical workers were allowed in the country.

Internationalism and Conflict

One of the main goals of the UN and other international organizations is to maintain peace and security around the world. It is not easy to achieve this goal because conflicts are complex and difficult to solve.

The conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan is an example of how difficult it is to maintain peace.

About 60% of Darfuris are farmers and most are black people. The other 40% are nomadic or semi-nomadic, and most are of Arabic background. Nomads move from place to place, looking for food and pasture land.

In the past few decades, Darfur has experienced drought and both groups have suffered from it. Because of the drought, both groups are competing for land.

In 2003, the competition became violent. Rebel groups attacked government targets. The reason for this was that the government (dominated by Arabs) was helping the Arabs but not the black farmers. Civil war has plagued the region since 2003.

The government and militias loyal to the government have been fighting the rebel groups.

The UN names Darfur the worst humanitarian crisis in the world in 2004 and by 2007, about 200 000 Darfuris had been killed and 2.5 million had fled their homes.

The UN and the African Union have been trying to negotiate with the Sudanese government to stop the killing and the International Criminal Courts have been investigating instances of war crimes and genocide. The court even issued warrants for the arrest of some members but the killing continues.

How effective is internationalism in addressing contemporary global issues?

International trade among countries is one way with dealing with global issues. It can improves peoples prosperity and prosperous countries are less likely to fight with one another. The WTO was created to promote and regulate international trade.

There are critics who argue that the WTO favours richer developed countries at the expense of the poorer developing countries. For example, farmers in developed countries have advantages that farmers in less developed countries do not.

Farmers in Canada, for example have subsidies to help meet expenses. Farmers can sell their products at a lower price than if they did not have subsidies. These farmers can then compete nationally and internationally. Farmers in less developed nations do not have these subsidies and cannot compete on the international market.

Many also believe that internationalism do more harm than good. Institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank reduce the independence of national governments. In order to borrow money, these governments need to change its policies to fit what the IMF and World Bank want. The governments may have to cut social programs, such as education or health care.

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