David Kinsella
Hatfield School of Government
Office: 650K Urban Center
Phone: 503.725.3035   Email: kinsella@pdx.edu
Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 11:30-12:30
 

Description

The course examines the myriad ways in which states have brought order and organization to their international conduct, with special emphasis on the functions and activities of formal international institutions. We will cover general purpose organizations, like the UN and (increasingly) the EU, as well as those with more specialized functions, like NATO (security), the WTO (trade), the IMF and World Bank (finance and development), and the ICC (criminal justice). These organizations are the creations of states, but we will also look at nongovernmental organizations, like Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch. Such organizations, as well as many less formal transnational networks, are the creations of private actors, but designed to serve the global public good.

Learning Objectives

The general objective of this course is to develop the student's capacity to critically examine problems in international organization and global governance, consider the range of possible solutions to those problems, and communicate the results of this analysis to others. These objectives are to be accomplished by exposing students to relevant literature from the field of international organization. By the end of the term, students should be able to:

• show a familiarity with a wide range of substantive issues in international organization;
• understand the basic functioning of the most important institutions in international society;
• articulate coherent positions on a key normative debates arising from the quest for global governance; and
• design and execute a research project on some problem related to international organization, and communicate the findings to others.
   

Requirements and Evaluation

Readings

There is one required textbooks for this course, available at the Portland State Bookstore:

Other assigned readings are available online (via the PSU library website) and in the Political Science Division's reserve reading area (650P Urban Center). In addition to the assigned readings, you should be reading, on a regular basis, the New York Times, the Washington Post, or some other newspaper with thorough international coverage. Your performance in the course will reflect your familiarity with current issues of international organization and governance, and not just an understanding of lecture material and course readings.

CLASS SCHEDULE

• Geoffrey Wiseman, "Norms and Diplomacy: The Diplomatic Underpinnings of Multilateralism," chap. 1 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Michael G. Schechter, "Systemic Change, International Organizations, and the Evolution of Multilateralism, chap. 2 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Andreas Kruck and Volker Rittberger, "Multilateralism Today and Its Contribution to Global Governance," chap. 3 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Earl Sullivan, "A Realist's Argument for Multilateral Diplomacy," chap. 17 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.

• Paul Kennedy, The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future of the United Nations (Random House, 2006), chap. 1.
• Joseph H. Melrose and J. Andrew Melrose, "Unplanned Obsolescence? The Future of the State in a Multilateral World," chap. 4 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Ramesh Thakur, "Multilateral Diplomacy and the United Nations: Global Governance Venue or Actor," chap. 15 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• slides

• Stephen R. Rock, "The Challenge of 'Rogue States' for a Troubled International Community," chap. 5 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Donna M. Schlagheck, "Global Terrorism, Nuclear Proliferation, and Genocide: The Threats Posed to States and Global Stability," chap. 6 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Richard Reitano, "Power, the State, Multilateral Diplomacy, and Global Governance," chap. 19 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Michael J. Glennon, "Why the Security Council Failed," Foreign Affairs (May/June 2003), pp. 16-35.
• slides

• Alexandra Gheciu, NATO in the "New Europe": The Politics of International Socialization after the Cold War (Stanford University Press, 2005), chap. 2.
• Dan Reiter, "Why NATO Enlargement Does Not Spread Democracy," International Security (Spring 2001), pp. 41-67.
• Michael Cox, "Beyond the West: Terrors in Transatlantia," European Journal of International Relations (June 2005), pp. 203-233.
• slides

• David Mitrany, "The Functional Approach to World Organization," International Affairs (July 1948), pp. 350-363.
• Desmond Dinan, Europe Recast: A History of the European Union (Lynn Rienner, 2004), chap. 1.
• Amitai Etzioni, "The Community Deficit," Journal of Common Market Studies (March 2007), pp. 23-42.
• slides

• David A. Kennett, "Challenges to the Global Economy: Can the State Fix Them?" chap. 7 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Richard H. Steinberg, "In the Shadow of Law or Power? Consensus-Based Bargaining and Outcomes in the GATT/WTO," International Organization (Spring 2002), pp. 339-374.
• Susan Esserman and Robert Howse, "The WTO on Trial," Foreign Affairs (January/February 2003), pp. 130-140.
• John Mathiason, "International Secretariats: Diplomats or Civil Servants?" chap. 14 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• slides

• Ngaire Woods, The Globalizers: The IMF, the World Bank, and Their Borrowers (Cornell University Press, 2006), chaps. 1-3.
• Henk-Jan Brinkman and Masood Hyder, "The Diplomacy of Specialized Agencies: High Food Prices and the World Food Program," chap. 16 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.

• Timothy Longman and Natalie Zahringer, "Explaining State Responses to Human Rights," chap. 8 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Peter D. Bell and Sherine S. Jayawickrama, "The Role of Humanitarian NGOs in Multilateral Diplomacy," chap. 9 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Carroll Bogert, "Human Rights Advocacy in Global Governance: A Case Study of Human Rights Watch," chap. 10 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Jamie Mayerfeld, "Who Shall Be Judge? The United States, the International Criminal Court, and the Global Enforcement of Human Rights," Human Rights Quarterly (February 2003), pp. 93-129.
• slides

• Oran R. Young, "The Architecture of Global Environmental Governance: Bringing Science to Bear on Policy," Global Environmental Politics (February 2008), pp. 14-32.
• Remi Parmentier, "Greenpeace and the Dumping of Waste at Sea: A Case of Non-State Actors' Intervention in International Affairs," International Negotiation (1999), pp. 433-455.
• Stanley W. Burgiel, "Seven Steps to Influencing Multilateral Environmental Negotiations: A Case Study on Invasive Species and the Convention on Biological Diversity," chap. 11 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.

• Mary Kaldor, "The Idea of Global Civil Society," International Affairs (May 2003), pp. 583-593.
• Stephen Jordan and Taryn Bird, "The Private Sector and the Business of Global Governance," chap. 12 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• Joan E. Spero, "Private Foundations and Multilateral Diplomacy," chap. 13 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• JoAnn Fagot Aviel, "The Role of Nonstate Actors," chap. 18 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• James P. Muldoon, Jr., "Multilateralism's New Mix: Implications for Diplomacy, International Organizations, and Global Governance," chap. 20 in Dynamics of Multilateralism.
• slides