Chapter 5: Regional Organization
Key Points
Regional Organization in one of the major element in global governance
- categories of ROs
- definition of a region
global organization or regional organization should be the one dealing with problems
1. the roots and dynamics of regionalism
traditionally: participant states share geographical proximity and mutual agreement
constructivist: social and political construction of concepts, metaphors, and practices on how a region is defined, either included or excluded.
- outsider could join if meet criteria
2. political factors driving regionalism
2.1. power dynamics
great power’s influence on regional organizations
Working as a group is stronger than working as individuals your voice get’s heard the more powerful you are
Coalitions and regions are created to strengthen and louden smaller states’ voices
2.2. identity and ideology
member states have common similarities, values, and mind set.
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identity: having common culture, and collectively definable
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common threat: from inside and outside that all is effected
organization built by a threat isn’t very sustainable, as the threat goes, the organization has no purpose
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historical experience: faced the same history to a certain degree
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ideology: the same belief in ideology such as authoritarianism, democracy, capitalism…
2.3. external
colonial power threatens South East Asia
2.4. internal
economic crisis inside region, that states need to work together to deal with
2.5. domestic politics:
2.6. leadership
leadership is needed in every group, (individual/state level)
in a region, the more powerful member will stand as the member to be the representation
3. economic factors driving regionalism
economic interdependence are linked to regional economic initiatives
- Open Regionalism: RTA open to outsider
- Closed Regionalism: limited to members
regionalism adopted to tackle issue with globalism
3.1. two waves of regionalism
Eurocentric: (1940s-1970s)
- most early regional organizations were Europe.
- more inward looking, already powerful, seek to disconnect interdependence, to be self-reliant
New Regionalism: make states move to more regional agreements, reducing trade barriers, growth of non-states
- Most of the new ones are outside of Europe
- Multifunctional: deal with multiple issues or wide range of issues
- more outward looking, weak states seeking to connect and increase bargaining power.
4. Europe’s regional organization
4.1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
regional security organization: originally created to deal with Soviet Union
military alliance → security alliance → humanitarian operations → against terrorism
article 5: “an attack against one member is an attack against all the members”
theory of peace: focus on dealing using peace, and keeping democracy alive
structure
relations with Russia
they made a Permanent Joint Council: cooperation wide rang of issues
Russia saw membership expansion as threat
post cold war role
Afghanistan and the war on terrorism
9/11: NATO invoked article 5
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
References
- Chapter 5 Regional Organization