The course traces the historical evolution of international organizations (IOs) from the aftermath of the 1815 Congress of Vienna to the present time.
Students who successfully complete this course will: - Know key terminology for describing different types of IOs (IGOs, INGOs, international regimes etc.) - Understand the main historical trends and the importance of specific historical moments (e.g. end of the two world wars; decolonization; end of the Cold War) for international organization - Know different typologies of IOs based on their reach (e.g. global vs. regional) and mandate (e.g. functional IOs vs. collective security), and be able to apply these categories to different periods and organizations - Know the main institutional features of around 11 major IOs, their origin and their historical evolution - Be able to trace and analyze critically the performance of these organizations, especially in relation to four case studies of major crises
Prerequisiti
General knowledge of modern and contemporary history
Metodi didattici
Lectures
Verifica Apprendimento
Attending students* (studenti frequentanti): - Each module is associated with a specific essential reading (occasionally two) which is typically a chapter from the textbook above. The exact list of essential readings and the links to the material are available on Kiro. - Recommended readings for each modules are also available on Kiro. These are useful to integrate the content of the lecture, but are not required for the final exam. - The final exam for attending students will be written and test your knowledge of the essential readings and of the lecture notes.
Non-attending students* (studenti non frequentanti) - The final exam will be written and cover MacKenzie’s textbook (all) and a selection of chapters from Bob Reinalda's handbook (detailed above).
* Attending students are required to be present in at least 75% of the course lectures in which attendance is taken.
Testi
Textbook (for all; details of the chapters to be covered by attending students are provided on Kiro): David MacKenzie, "A World Beyond Borders: An Introduction to the History of International Organizations" (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010).
For non-attending students - selections from: Bob Reinalda, "Routledge History of International Organizations" (Abingdon: Routledge, 2009). The required sections for non-attending students are Parts I (chapters 1,2,3); VI (chapters 15,16); VIII (chapters 19,20,21); XIV (chapters 37,38); XVI (chapters 42,43); XVII (chapter 44).
Contenuti
1) Introduction. What are “international organizations”? And what do they do? 2) The origins (since 1815) Case studies: functional organizations (CCNR; ICRC) 3) The League of Nations Case study: the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935-36) 4) Setting standards: the International Labor Organization (ILO) Case study: international efforts for the abolition of child labor 5) The United Nations and conflict resolution Case study: the 1956 Suez Crisis 6) The Bretton Woods System and international financial organizations (IFOs) Case study: IMF and structural adjustment programs (SAPs) 7) Regional organizations Case study: Iraq’s two invasions of Kuwait (1961 and 1990) between regionalism and internationalism 8) INGOs and global social movements Case study: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Nigeria-Biafra War (1967-70) 9) Global environmentalism Case study: the Montreal Protocol (1987) 10) A contemporary outlook: IGOs between irrelevance and reform