1. Introduction to Political Science (IRE 101) Week 11 International Institutions and Global Governance

2. European Union
The European Union (EU) represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries.
It is hard to find another object that has so big bureaucracy and institutions that interact with each other in so intense way.
The European project has delivered the longest stretch of peace in Europe in modern history.
Laboratory to test many different theories.

3. The European Union: 500 million people – 28 countries

4. European Union SOME CRITICAL POINTS:
It is more a convenience than a conviction. Lacks ideological passion and the civic loyalty. ‘Brexit’ – unwillingness to be ruled from Brussels.
Too passive regarding international security and many other global issues. Admired as a political model, ridiculed as an actor on global stage.
Nation-states have not just given up part of their sovereignty to the European Union but also part of their vision for their own future.
On many issues, there doesn’t really exist a unified European strategic approach.

5. EU: Brexit
LEAVE:
Britain is held back by Europe: unshackled, it could soar as an open economy. It can reach trade deals with other important countries like China, India and America.
EU - a monstrous superstate, bent on crushing British liberties. Sovereignty gradually eroded.
UK overrun by EU migrants and there is little the government can do to stop them. If Britain left the union, it could.
STAY:
Outside the EU, Britain would have no say in setting its rules. Yet it would still need to comply with most of them in order to access the single market.
Relationships with crucial allies, like the United States, could also be jeopardized.

6. Future of EU
What happens to UK outside of Europe? Does this trigger other countries (France, Italy, Austria) to leave the union?
Freedom of Movement. Can Europe remain open borders in times of mass migration and unemployment?
Can Europe form a unifying EU foreign policy?

7. NATO
Military or defense alliance formed in 1949 by 12 countries in Western Europe and North America.
Original purpose – to protect its members from a possible attack from the Soviet Union.

8. NATO Historically
First peacetime alliance in U.S. history. America really pushed European’s to work and come together. It was not willing to put man power if Europeans could not solve their own problems. America was non-committal at first wanting to see what the Europeans are going to do.
US Congress did not want the Article 5 - automatic guarantee to protect Europe. It wanted to remain the sole arbiter of when to declare war.
Initially the US thought that the creation of NATO would undercut United Nations. At first UN was the main instruments that the US sought to deal with security issues.
The Dutch wanted its colonies covered - Indonesia. Belgians asked if the Congo could be in the perimeter. Americans were terrified about this idea. There were huge debates about article nr 5. Americans at the start wanted 10 year treaty. It wasn’t meant to last.

9. NATO purpose
NATO’s essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.
POLITICAL - NATO promotes democratic values and encourages consultation and cooperation on defence and security issues to build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.
MILITARY - NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military capacity needed to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty - NATO’s founding treaty - or under a UN mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organizations.

10. NATO Operations Crisis management operations and missions
Afghanistan
Kosovo
Iraq
Darfur (Sudan)
Balkans
Civil emergency planning
Refugee crises
Forest fires
Floods
earthquakes, etc.

11. NATO
As democracy spread throughout Eastern Europe, NATO added new members.
1999 – Three former Warsaw Pact members were admitted into NATO: Poland, Hungary, The Czech Republic.
2002 – Seven former communist states in Eastern Europe added. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria.
Crises in Ukraine – reversal of the expansion trend.

12. NATO: Some Critical points
Not equal burden sharing between allies. Only five members meet that benchmark: the U.S., Great Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland.
‘Out of area threats’ – cover for Euro-Atlantic ambitions, regime change.
Things might look different from Moscow. Potential as being seen as an aggressor.
Trump: "I think NATO is obsolete. NATO was done at a time you had the Soviet Union, which was obviously larger - much larger - than Russia is today."