THE CONCEPT OF

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION

THE WORDS
INTERNATIONAL
ORGANISATION
Inter-what? nations, states, governments?
Inter meaning across or between?
Organisation or Organisations?
Is there one single international organisation?
What we study under the entry International Organisation?

ALTERNATIVES TO
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Unilateral action
Climate change: US defects from provision of a public good (European
perspective!)
US-Iraq War: US shoulders provision of a public good (US government
perspective!)

Institution without organization

Antarctic Treaty 1959

TYPOLOGIES OF
INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
Governmental/Non governmental
Global/Regional
Vast competencies/Restricted
competencies
Real power/Symbolic Power
Domination/Function

INTER-GOVERNMENTAL
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
(IGOS)
Existence of member states and secretariat:
Permanent Institutions
Formal and not informal, and based on a Charter,
Statute, Treaty (G8 is therefore not an IGO)
Three or more members

INTERNATIONAL NONGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATIONS (INGOS)
Members are individuals or private organisations
Participation of individuals of more than one country, but also aim
extends to more than one country
Recognition from whom? Governments, International Organizations
or global public opinion?

GROWTH OF
INTERGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS
Year
1909
1976
1987
1997

Number

37
252
1,649
1,850

GROWTH OF
NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS
Year
1909
1976
1987
1997

Number

176
5,155
14,943
15,965

TODAY, approximately 67,000 and

growing.

GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS
Membership is potentially open to all territorial states
The case of greatest success: the United Nations
More limited cases, also among the INGOs.
All UN specialized agencies are open to membership, but not all UN
member states join them

REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Typical in a geographical region
The most sophisticated: the European Union
Other regional organisations: NATO, OECD
Regional Customs Union: Mercosur, Nafta, Asean
Political Regional Union: The Arab League

VAST COMPETENCIES
Catholic Church
The United Nations
The European Union and the European Commission
NATO
Divergence between formal and substantial competences: what are
the resources available?

SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
NAFTA
Amnesty International
International Studies Association

POWER AVAILABLE
Political, economic, military, symbolic power
Instruments in the hands of the International
Organisation: own resources or resources coming
from the member states?
The case of peace-keeping
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
The possibility of sanctions
A very important sanction: exclusion

POWER AVAILABLE
Tools of the strong or shields of the weak?
Importance of sovereignty veto system
Expected benefits: direct gains or side payments
Stronger states accept limitations to their autonomy
Weaker states accept predominant role of stronger states

WHY IO?
Advantages of Delegation
Advantages of Representations
Advantages for elites over the demos

INTERNATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS AND
SOVEREIGN STATES
What happen to state sovereignty when international organisations
erode their competencies?
What will remain of sovereignty?
What does it mean democratic deficit in IO?
The functionalist vision

ONCE NIXON AND BREZNEV

THEN BUSH AND BLAIR

TODAY PRESIDENT XI
AND OBAMA?

EVEN THE SECURITY COUNCIL

IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO POWER
POLITICS

A CASE OF
IO
Will it be effective?
What is its authority?
What alternatives
are left open to
politics?