issues in world order

World orderPart 3 option 2 Contemporary Issues in World Order

Term 1/2 20121Monday, 18 June 2012

Main Syllabus Points

Hint: These issues should be integrated to support your argument in essays

2Monday, 18 June 2012

1.“Responsibility to Protect”

new international security and human rights norm (R2P) - world summit 2005

This norm derived from the need to have ‘humanitarian intervention’ in the conflicts of Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo

This issue challenges the concept of state sovereignty


r2p4Monday, 18 June 2012

onus is placed on nation states and international organisations

also includes the ‘responsibility to warn’ for nation states

designed to prevent mass atrocity crimes

Legal Responses


Obama,r2p and Libya6Monday, 18 June 2012

NGO’s are at the forefront of this principle (ICG). They have been involved in:

strengthening the acceptance of R2P

building NGO skills to apply pressure to governments

dealing with country specific situations

The International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRTOP) was raised by NGO’s

Non-legal Responses


Two contradictory aspects of the UN charter are developed

the non-interference principle in relation to state sovereignty

obligation of UN members to act against human rights violations

Hint: R2p is a norm not a law. Therefore jus cogens is developed


correct labelling of R2P conflicts

prevention not military action

The UNSC needs to develop specific guidelines when force is used (Libya 2011)

More power given to IGO’s

Priorities of R2P


R2P Issues10Monday, 18 June 2012

2. Regional and global situations that threaten peace and security: The

Nuclear Threat

Nuclear Weapons are the greatest threat to peace and security globally

There has been a reduction of nuclear weapons. However, the detonation of only a few hundred would cause massive ecological and humanitarian disasters


Overview of nuclear weapons12Monday, 18 June 2012

History of nuclear weapons14Monday, 18 June 2012

Bilateral Treaties have been established to disarm nation states

USA and USSR(Russia)

1983-begin talks

1991 - Start 1 - which reduces their arsenals of warheads

2002 - SORT Treaty signed - criticism was made because many nuclear arms were simply stored

Legal Responses


What are these cartoons showing?


USA-Russia Relations18Monday, 18 June 2012

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1968 - reducing countries that possessed nuclear weaponry

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) by 1996. 182 signatories and 153 ratifications. The United States has not ratified the treaty

Multilateral treaties

Hint: these are excellent treaties to integrate into the international documents and instruments

section


NPT Review Conference 201020Monday, 18 June 2012

UNSC and Nuclear Disarmament

Tug of war between the Cold War years

UNSC has strived to work on a case by case basis with countries of interest


Resolution 687 in 1991 - destruction of all chemical, ballistic and biological weapons by Saddam Hussein

Comply to rigorous UNSC weapons inspections

Still today, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have not been found in Iraq


IRAQ - hans blix23Monday, 18 June 2012

In the early nineties, North Korea began developing nuclear weapons that were known to the worlds powers

Agreements were made with the USA but in 2003 N. Korea withdrew from the NPT

2006 it detonated a nuclear bomb (as a test apparently), followed by UNSC pressure, which still remains today


UN sanctions placed on North Korea 2009


UNSC Resolution 1887 - Maintenance of international peace and security: Nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament

all 15 members of the UNSC voted yesStrong support for NPT Pressure was applied to non signatories such as India, Pakistan and Israel


International Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission

Begun in 2003 - President Hans Blix

The International Commission on Nuclear Non Proliferation and Disarmament

Non-legal Responses


UNSC effective?28Monday, 18 June 2012

3.The success in achieving world order

Many disputes have been resolved through international courts and treaties

In comparison to previous interventions, East Timor and Libya are considered successful

Hint: this section will be critical to evaluating effectiveness criteria


UNSC Resolution 1246 -Ballot to Decide on Special Autonomy for East Timor

UN established the United Nations mission in East Timor (UNAMET)

Case study: East Timor


UNSC Resolution 1264

Established INTERFET - (International Force for East Timor) peacekeeping force under Australian command

Humanitarian assistance was given and eventually violence stopped, giving success to the resolution


Success for the UN in East Timor

Deemed a success due to the willingness of Australia providing military assistance

The final outcomes - new independent state, this may have not been possible without UN intervention


4. Rules regarding the conduct of hostilities: International humanitarian law

International humanitarian law (IHL) refers to the body of treaties and humanitarian principles that regulate the conduct of armed conflict and seek to limit its effects

Treaties include:

The Hague Conventions 1899 and 1907

The four Geneva Conventions 1864, 1949

The Geneva Protocol 197733Monday, 18 June 2012

Hint: This issue is linked to the impact of changing values and ethical standards on

world order theme


In 1863 the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded was established

the treatment of people injured in war was random. There were no international standards for the conduct of war

Henri Dunant - Founded the ICRC


Today, all nation states know the standards of decent conduct in war

the Geneva Conventions are the most signed and ratified set of treaties in the world, with 194 signatories.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) becomes a legal response due to its incorporation in treaties

Legal Responses


Abuse of GC37Monday, 18 June 2012

The First Geneva Convention (1949) protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war

The Second Geneva Convention (1949) protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked personnel at sea during war.

The Third Geneva Convention (1949) protects prisoners of war

The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) protects civilians, including those in occupied territory


George Bush on GC39Monday, 18 June 2012

The Hague Conventions 1899 and 1907

1899 was to prohibit the use of certain types of technology in war, including chemical weapons and hollow point bullets

1907 focused on naval warfare


The ICRC was instrumental in the creation of the International Criminal Court

1945–46 the Nuremberg Trials - Nazi leaders on trial for war crimes and set a precedent of holding leaders accountable for their actions

International Courts


In the 1990s, the UN Security Council established ad hoc international tribunals in response to the mass killings

2002 the GC entered into force with the International Criminal Court. The ICC finally gave teeth to the Geneva Conventions


Breaches of the GC by the USA

USA labelled alleged terrorists as ‘unlawful combatants’ therefore outside the protection of the GC

Additionally, the military made it difficult for the Red Cross to visit

Finally, Guantanamo prison was established to ignore domestic law within the USA

Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo


Guantanamo 44Monday, 18 June 2012

Iraqi victims being tortured in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were released to the media

Other allied countries were dismayed that the USA were using such tactics

In 2009 President Obama announced that Guantanamo Bay prison facilities would be closed


The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plays a significant role

acts as a neutral party and helps people on all sides in a conflict

visits prison camps, internment camps or labour camps of both sides

evaluating the conditions of prisoners of war held in detention

Non-Legal Responses


David Hicks and John Howard Q&A 2010


issues in world order

Education

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east timor

geneva convention

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protects wounded

nuclear