International Groups & Alliances

Which ones do you know? The G7 The Commonwealth The G8 The UN The G20 BRICS OECD The Commonwealth The UN NATO The EU

The G7 The Group of 7 (G7) is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They are an informal bloc of industrialized democracies that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.

These countries are the seven major advanced economies as reported by the International Monetary Fund: the G7 countries represent more than 64% of the net global wealth ($263 trillion). A high GDP and a very high HDI are the main requirements to be a member of this group.

Attendees at G7 in 2017 https://twitter.com/g7 https://twitter.com/g7/status/867805839268036609 https://twitter.com/g7

Used to be called the G8 After the 1997 meeting Russia was formally invited to the next meeting and formally joined the group in 1998, resulting in a new group, the Group of Eight, or G8. However Russia was ejected from the group in 2014 following the Russian annexation of Crimea.

The G20 The Group of Twenty is an international group formed by the governments and central banks from 20 major economies. Founded in 1999 with the aim of promoting international financial stability Unlike the G7, the G20 is focused primarily on financial and economic issues facing the global economy Its annual summits have been a focus for major protests by anti-globalists, nationalists and others

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, the European Union (EU).

35,000 people march in London in protest against the G20 in 2009 The Toronto protests in 2010

BRICS The 5 major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS members are distinguished by their large, sometimes fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional affairs All five are G-20 members; they have their own annual summits However, BRICS countries have significantly slowed down South Africa only grew 1% in 2015 Brazil in its worst recession since the 1930s Russia in a recession as oil prices tailspin and sanctions weigh China's slowdown is set to be a drag on global growth

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 35 member countries Founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade The mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to seek solutions to common problems.

Commonwealth a voluntary intergovernmental association of 53 member states, (mostly former British colonies) Leaders of the Commonwealth meet every two years and discuss issues of mutual concern But unlike the United Nations, the Commonwealth cannot impose sanctions on member states, arguably making it less powerful. In theory, as all members have an equal say, regardless of size or economic stature, the group gives smaller states a voice in international politics and influence in diplomatic circles they might not otherwise have. However, the Commonwealth has been accused of failing to see its members uphold its basic principles. In 2002, Zimbabwe was suspended for a year after supporters of President Robert Mugabe used violence to help him win an election. A year later, Mugabe withdrew from the coaliton. Last year, the Gambia withdrew from the Commonwealth, accusing Britain of supporting his political opponents and calling the organisation a "neo-colonial institution."

The United nations is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the United Nations is in Manhattan, New York City, Its objectives include: maintaining international peace & security, promoting human rights fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict.

UN peacekeepers with their trademark blue helmets The UN headquarters in NYC Some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development, while others have called the organization ineffective, corrupt, or biased.

International court of justice The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the UN. It is commonly referred to as the World Court, ICJ or The Hague Established in 1945 by the UN Charter, it is based in the Hague, the Netherlands The ICJ is composed of 15 judges who serve 9-year terms and are appointed by the General Assembly; every sitting judge must be from a different nation. It is a civil court. The court has heard cases related to war crimes, illegal state interference, ethnic cleansing, and other issues It is the primary judicial branch of United Nations

The International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands

International criminal court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague It prosecutes individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It is a criminal court. The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore only exercise its jurisdiction when certain conditions are met, such as when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Council or individual states refer situations to the Court. It was set up after the ad hoc tribunals to deal with Rwanda war crimes proved ineffective.

What is the difference between the icc and the icj? The main difference is that ICJ settles arguments between countries, but the ICC punishes people.

European Union The EU is a politico-economic union of 28 member states It has an estimated population of over 510 million. EU policies aim to make it: easier to buy and sell things to other European countries easier to travel and work in other European countries to keep the peace

(Why isn’t Switzerland in the EU?) In 2001 76.8% of Swiss voted against joining EU. There are several reasons for this attitude: Swiss have a long tradition of neutrality and non-involvement into European Politics Swiss have recently voted in several measures to prevent further immigration, and to bring back immigration quotas. Being part of EU means that they would have to remove those quotas. Swiss banking system right now is very independent. The Swiss franc is one of the most stable currencies of the world, independently of any other factors. Becoming part of EU would mean becoming part of Euro zone.