Global Governance: Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to explain the reasons behind the establishment of the Liberal World Order.
- Students will be able to identify major institutions and structures that shape global governance.
Materials
Homework
- Students should complete Parts 1 and 2 of the guided reading handout.
Class One
- (5 Minutes) Homework Debrief: In particular, discuss the questions: What is the Liberal World Order? How does the UN Security Council work? What are some of its flaws?
- (15) Read in Pairs/ Answer: PART 3 of the guided reading handout.
- Answer all questions BUT…work with a partner to collaborate on filling out the section about Ten International Agreements You Need to Know
- (20 Minutes) Read in Groups: Divide the class into three groups, and have each group read and fill out the guided reading handout for ONE of the following
- Group 1: What are the World Bank and International Monetary Fund?
- Group 2: What is the World Trade Organization?
- Group 3: What is the World Health Organization?
- Jigsaw: Rearrange the students into groups of six students, two from each of the groups in the previous steps. Let students take turns explaining the international organization they read about.
- (5 Minutes) Debrief/ Assign Homework
Homework
- Complete any unfinished reading from class one and/or preview the reading from class two.
Class Two
- (10 Minutes) Reflect: What are students' takeaways from day one? What is international law? What do some of the major agreements address regarding international law? What are some of the major organizations that exist to support internal law? What are some of the challenges of having an international law system?
- (15 Minutes) CFR Education mini simulation: UN Security Council Reform
- Read: “Overview”, “The Situation”, and “Policy Options” as a class.
- Take a Stand: Assign three corners of room for the policy options. Students will move to the corner they agree with.
- Option #1: Promote maintaining the current UN Security Council architecture.
- Option # 2: Lead an agenda to reform the UN Security Council.
- Option #3: Continue to communicate support for reform without taking substantive action.
- Give students a couple minutes to discuss in their corner groups (Each corner supports a different policy). Share and discuss as a class.
- This will serve to get students thinking about the homework assignment.
- (20 Minutes) Set Up/ Begin Homework: Based on the Model Diplomacy mini-Simulation from class and what they read in “What Is the UN Security Council?” students should reflect on: How did the United Nations address problems faced by the League of Nations? What challenges does the United Nations face today?
- Have students write a one-page proposal for what US policy should be towards UN reform. The proposal should answer the following questions:
- How should UN Security Council members be chosen? Should there be requirements, such as for regional balance?
- Should there be permanent members? If so, which countries should they be?
- Should any countries have a veto? If so, which ones?
- How many votes should be required to take action?
- Should there be other limitations or requirements?
- Have students write a one-page proposal for what US policy should be towards UN reform. The proposal should answer the following questions:
Homework
- Students should complete their one-page proposal for what US policy should be towards UN reform.
Vocabulary
- agricultural subsidies
state funding, loans, tax breaks, or other forms of support given to agricultural businesses by their respective governments.
- arms control agreement
an agreement between two or more countries to limit or reduce the number or capabilities of weapons and related systems. A nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union was a defining element of the Cold War.
- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
an agreement signed on October 30, 1947, that governed global trade until the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994. By the end of 1994, the GATT had 128 signatories.
- epidemic
an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is typical for a certain population in an area.
- intellectual property
original works created by an author, technological inventions, business marks and designs, and other “creations of the mind” that are protected by copyright, patent, and trademark laws.
- interest rates
the percentage of a loan that the person borrowing must pay to the lender on top of paying back the loan itself.
- pandemic
disease outbreak that has reached at least several countries, affecting a large group of people.
- sanction
a tool of statecraft, frequently involving economic measures such as asset freezes and trade restrictions, used to exact a certain behavior or outcome from another party.
- surveillance
a type of intelligence collection that involves the systematic, and often concealed, observation of people, places, and things by visual, aural, electronic, photographic, or other methods.
- tribunal
a special court or body assigned to rule on a particular legal issue. Tribunals are often established by national governments or international organizations to try accused terrorists and war criminals.
- UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
a 1994 international agreement identifying what parts of the ocean countries control and how. The agreement defines the twelve nautical miles of ocean extending from the coastline as a country’s sovereign territorial waters, waters in which foreign vessels may sail for transit purposes but may not fish, spy, or pollute. Maritime areas beyond territorial waters are international, but UNCLOS does place further restrictions on areas up to 200 nautical miles away from a country’s shoreline.
- World Bank
a multilateral financial institution created in 1944 that funds long-term economic development of low- and middle-income countries through loans and grants for policy reforms and for projects in infrastructure, health, education, governance, and other areas.
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
an international institution created in 1995 that regulates trade between nations. A replacement for the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the WTO manages the rules of international trade and attempts to ensure fair and equitable treatment for its 164 members. It does this by conducting negotiations, lowering trade barriers, and settling disputes. As of 2018, the WTO had 164 members.