1. International Organizations Prof
International Organizations Prof. Philip Yang National Taiwan University
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2. Early Developments
A. The Concert of Europe - a system of multi-lateral, high-level, political conferences
The Concert of Europe (Congress of Vienna ) is the earliest modern precedent to today’s IGO. => European great powers to re-establish order and stability.
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4. a. Int’l River Commissions of Europe
B. Public International Unions - agencies concerned with problems in various essentially non-political fields
a. Int’l River Commissions of Europe
b. ITU Intl Telegraphic Union
c. UPU Universal Postal Union
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5. The Concert of Europe: a forum for international collaboration on European security and commerce.
Rhine River Commission : established navigation rules for the Rhine River and an adjudication board to prosecute individuals accused of violating those rules
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6. C. The Hague System - a new sort of international meetings and conferences
Two "International Peace Conferences" , 1907 (initiated by Czar Nicholas II of Russia)
Created PCIA (1899, now PCA)
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8. c. permanent institution sought - a Hague system
Significance : a. universality, not just Europe: 26, then 44 states participated
b. small states tasted equality, independence - also first taste of problems of big-small state relations
c. permanent institution sought - a Hague system
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9. Case Study 1 : Universal Postal Union (UPU)
History: Prior to the establishment of the UPU, a country had to conclude a separate postal treaty with each other country that it wished to carry international mail to or from.
The United States called for an international postal congress in Prussian Minister for Posts found the UPU in 1874 (Treaty of Berne).
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10. UPU is the second oldest IO (after the ITU, 1865)
Functions: The UPU is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties.
After the foundation of the UN, the UPU became its specialized agency.
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11. The UPU has 190 members countries. Timor-Leste joined on 28 Nov. 2003.
More than six million postal employees work in over postal outlets to ensure that some 430 billion mail items are processed and delivered each year.
The UPU has 190 members countries.
Timor-Leste joined on 28 Nov
The ROC joined the UPU on 1 March 1914, until 13 April 1972 when the UPU accepted the PRC.
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12. League of Nations Prof. Philip Yang National Taiwan University
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13. World Wars I and II engendered two rather contradictory forces.
Heightened feelings of nationalism
A greater hatred of war
No surrender of sovereignty
Toothless international organizations
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14. Founding of the League of Nations
In 1918, president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson presented his famous Fourteen Points. The last of the points called for a League of Nations : “ A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity.”
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15. Even though president Woodrow Wilson had been a driving force behind the League of Nations, the United States never joined, after its Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and voted not to join the League.
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16. Woodrow Wilson
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17. The League of Nations (1919-1939)
(i) The first multipurpose IGO
(ii) Universal membership
(iii)Three principles：
-- Collective security
-- Peaceful settlement of
disputes
-- Foster international cooperation in the economic and social realms
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18. Essential Features of the League
Promoting Peace and Preventing Wars:
Members agree to respect and preserve the territorial integrity and political independence of other states,
Any war or threat of war is a matter of concern to the whole League.
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19. Peaceful settlement of dispute : The most important goals of LN were promoting peace and preventing wars.
If states were unable to settle their disputes by negotiation, they agreed to submit them to arbitration, judicial settlement, or consideration by the League Council.
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20. Economic and social cooperation: the establishment of International Labor Organizations (ILO), just treatment of non-self governing peoples, supervision of traffic in women and children, supervision of traffic in dangerous drugs …
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21. The abolition of secret treaties: The Covenant provided that all treaties should be submitted to the Secretariat for publication, and that no treaty should be valid unless so registered.
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22. Major Organs of the League
1. Council of the League - new Concert of Europe
2. Assembly - realization of Hague hopes for regularized meetings
3. Secretariat
4. PCIJ - first int’l court
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23. It had an Assembly in which each member was represented.
The League had a Council, which began with four permanent members, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Japan and non-permanent members.
It had an Assembly in which each member was represented.
Both of these required unanimous votes for any action to be taken
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24. Three principal bodies of LN
The Council
The Assembly
The Secretariat
Position
Chief executive organ
Quasi-legislative body
The League bureaucracy
Members
Victors of WWI and 4 lesser powers
Each member of the League has up to three representatives
Secretary-General and the staff
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25. Addressing any matter within the purview of the League
The Council
The Assembly
The Secretariat
Functions
Addressing issues relating to international wars and threats to international peace
Addressing any matter within the purview of the League
Carrying out League policies and mandates
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26. Members of the Council
The Council was to have consisted of 5 great powers with permanent seats--the United States, Britain, France, Italy, and Japan--and 4 non-permanent members, elected by the Assembly.
The United States never took its seat, but when Germany and the Soviet Union were admitted to the league, as great powers they had permanent seats on the Council.
The number of nonpermanent Members was eventually increased to 11.
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28. League of Nation, First Assembly, 1920
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29. LN, Twentieth Assembly, 1939
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30. LN, First Council, 1920
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31. LN, 107th Council, 1939
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32. Permanent Court of International Justice
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33. Successes and Failures of the League of Nations
LN can be judged on the basis of their handling of disputes and their utility in avoiding war.
From the earliest days of League, the members realized that the procedures of the Covenant lacked guarantees that all disputes would be settle peacefully.
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34. The League was successful in dealing with minor conflicts throughout the 1920s. However, it proved unable to prevent the larger crises of the 30s, or World War II.
The League formally dissolved itself on April 18, 1946 and transferred its mission to the United Nations.
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35. General Assessment
LN represented both a radical and a conservative trend in the development of international relations.
It was radical because: it’s the first cooperation among nations; it’s innovative in creating the political, judicial, economic, social, and administrative agencies that would serve as a model for the UN.
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36. It was conservative because it’s based on an existing international order, and no attempt was made to redirect the sources of authority and power.
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38. Discussion Question
The outbreak of the Second World War suggested that the League of Nations failed in its primary purpose, preventing another world war. What were the key reasons for this failure?
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