Weblinks   European Union http://europa.eu.int/index.htm The EU is an IGO with regional membership and multiple purposes. Chapter 5 characterizes the authority structure of the EU as one of pooled sovereignty, under which the member states grant the EU legal authority to make some collective decisions for them. After entering the Europa Web site, explore the main institutions of the EU. How does the Court of Justice differ from the UN’s International Court of Justice? How many political groupings are represented in the European Parliament? How might these divisions affect the formation of a unified EU foreign policy? International Monetary Fund http://www.imf.org/ The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an IGO with global membership that was created to promote international monetary cooperation and facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade by promoting exchange stability. It does this by making monetary resources temporarily available to its members. Choose two or three countries of interest to you and see how they have interacted with the IMF. Examine the "current topics" section. What are the main issues discussed here? Which countries or groups of countries are affected? North Atlantic Treaty Organization http://www.nato.int The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance that includes the European states, the United States, and Canada. It was originally formed to protect Europe from the Soviet threat after World War II. Since the end of the Cold War, it has been restructured; it now has an auxiliary membership, the Partnership for Peace (PfP). To see PfP’s membership, click on the "Partnerships" link from the NATO homepage and then click on the Partnership for Peace link. What characteristics do the PfP member countries share? Although once a regional collective defense organization, NATO has had to redefine its mission since the end of the Cold War. NATO’s involvement in Bosnia was the first venture into new terrain. Many question whether it is appropriate for an organization designed for mutual self-protection from external attack to be involved in policing civil wars in Europe. What do you think? Organization of American States http://www.oas.org/ The Organization of American States (OAS) is a multipurpose IGO with regional members from North and South America. It is the "principal forum in the hemisphere for political, economic, and social dialogue." The OAS is concerned with issues such as democracy, human rights, trade, environment, and education. Explore one of these challenges by selecting "Key OAS Issues" from the "About the OAS" drop-down menu. How might the United States and other hemispheric countries differ in their views of the challenge and the best way to solve it? United Nations http://www.un.org/ The United Nations (UN) is an IGO with global membership that performs multiple purposes. The UN Web site is organized according to the organization’s primary concerns: peace and security, international law, humanitarian affairs, economic and social development, and human rights. Chapter 5 has introduced you to the major UN organs—the General Assembly, the Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and Secretariat. Which organ focuses on which areas of concern? World Health Organization http://www.who.int/ The main goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. It defines health as the "state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The WHO has been hailed as one of the best examples of how an international organization can benefit the world community. Review the WHO’s major achievements and the challenges it faces. Do you think it is possible for the WHO to achieve its goals? Do you agree with its expanded definition of health that includes social well-being? The World Trade Organization http://www.wto.org/ The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an IGO with a global membership and multiple purposes. Its mission is to ensure that trade flows between states as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible. Decision making within the WTO is by consensus among all 135 member countries. Trade agreements are then ratified by members’ parliaments. The WTO also uses a dispute settlement process that focuses on interpreting agreements and ensuring that member countries’ trade policies follow them. Click on "WTO News" and "Trade Topics." What important issues is the WTO currently addressing? Academic Info Religion http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html Many American students are unfamiliar with the belief systems of non-Western religions. Do you know the difference is between Lamaistic and Theravada Buddhists? Find out by visiting the Academic Info Religion Web site. This site links you with Internet resources for the study of the world’s religions. Read passages from the Koran and the Old and New Testaments. Compare and contrast Taoist, Zen, Mormon, Hindu, Gnostic, and Nag Hammadi texts. If your tastes lean more toward mythology and alchemy, you will find them here, too. Nathanson Center for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption http://www.yorku.ca/nathanson/ International organized crime is an increasingly influential nonstate actor for which the "creed is greed." The Nathanson Center at York University in Canada analyzes organized crime and corruption as part of its commitment to educate the public. Focusing primarily on North American organized crime, this site has an extensive bibliography of articles, books, and reports that is a good start for anyone researching this topic. It also offers links to Web sites on different international criminal organizations, including the Italian-Sicilian Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza, the Chinese Triads, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Alternatively, it lists links by specific type of crime. Patterns of Global Terrorism http://www.usis.usemb.se/terror/ The U.S. Department of State has compiled a Web site that reviews region-specific information on terrorism from 1995 through 2000. Choose a year, then view appendices for a chronology of terrorist attacks, background information on specific terrorist groups, and attack and casualty statistics. Choose a terrorist group. What are its demands? Should the United States ever negotiate with terrorists? Why or why not? Terrorism Research Center http://www.terrorism.com/index.shtml This site is a good source for research on terrorism and links to other Web sources on terrorism. Look at the Terrorist Profiles for discussion and analysis of groups.. Keep in mind that one group’s "freedom fighters" may be another group’s "terrorists." United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) http://www.unctad.org/en/enhome.htm From the UNCTAD homepage, go to the Least Developed Countries sub-site and investigate the backgrounds of the countries that the United Nations has deemed the poorest countries in the world. Examine the various policies UNCTAD has for helping the Least Developed Countries. Which do you think have the best chance of succeeding? Why? United Nations Development Program (UNDP) http://www.undp.org/ This United Nations branch helps countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable human development. As discussed in Chapter 6, the fulfillment of basic human needs (food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, health care, employment, and dignity) are important measures of a country’s development level. The UNDP focuses its efforts on assisting countries in the Global South to design and carry out national development programs. Examine the various projects of the UNDP. Which have had the greatest impact on development? Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/ Amnesty International (AI) is an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) with a global reach and a specific purpose. Its activities are concentrated on prisoners around the world who are detained solely for their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin, language, or religion. Amnesty International advocates the release of all prisoners of conscience, the availability of a fair and prompt trial for political prisoners, and the abolishment of the death penalty, torture, and other cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners. What are some of the issues of current concern to Amnesty International? Fourth World Documentation Project http://www.cwis.org/fwdp.html The Center for World Indigenous Studies created this Web site to document and make available important materials relating to the social, political, strategic, economic, and human rights problems that indigenous peoples face. The site is organized according to region and has links to international agreements and resolutions. NativeWeb http://www.nativeweb.org The NativeWeb has both a resource center and a community center. Research the native peoples of the world by clicking on the "resource center" link, or click the "communities" link to discuss current issues on the message board. You can also participate in an on-line chat. NetAid http://www.netaid.org NetAid is a new, long-term effort to use the unique networking capabilities of the Internet to promote development and alleviate extreme poverty across the world. NetAid issues periodic calls to action on items of urgency and focuses attention on what works. Read about efforts aimed at ending hunger, helping refugees, saving the environment, securing human rights, and relieving debt. This site also suggests actions you can take to address some of these issues. Beijing ’95: Women, Power, and Change http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/ The United Nations brings you a Web site devoted to the implementation and follow-up of the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women. Through this site, interested individuals can read the Final Report on the Fourth World Conference on Women. What influence did nongovernmental organizations have on the issues presented at the conference? What were some of the problems they experienced? The United Nations and the Status of Women: Setting the Global Gender Agenda http://www.un.org/Conferences/Women/PubInfo/ Status/Home.htm Table 7.2 chronicles a quarter-century of progress on women’s rights. As you can see, the UN and its programs have provided the most important international forums on women’s rights. This Web site explains the major UN programs that advance women’s rights, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, UN Actions for Women, Commission on the Status of Women, Women in Development, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees http://www.unhcr.ch/ Any study of population dynamics requires that one consider migration. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees leads and coordinates international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. This Web site offers a wealth of information on refugees and is a good place to start examining the issues involved. The Protecting Refugees link describes one of the fundamental aspects of the UNHCR. The Statistics link gives you current numbers on refugees worldwide as well as by country. Explore the News link to examine important current topics. Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/ Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an independent, nongovernmental organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. To this end, the organization investigates and exposes human rights violations and holds abusers accountable. As this chapter notes, the international community has impressively expanded the human rights protection granted under international law. HRW challenges governments to respect these laws. Its Web site houses stories on breaking news concerning human rights around the globe. The site delivers HRW reports on specific countries’ human rights abuses. Which countries have the best and worst human rights records? The International Court of Justice http://www.icj-cij.org/ The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Examine the Court’s statute to find out who can bring cases before the court. Then, read the biographies of the court’s fifteen members. Finally, access the Decisions link to examine some of the ICJ’s contentious cases. Which countries have brought the United States to court? What were the ICJ’s rulings in these cases? International Court of Justice Considers Genocide http://oz.uc.edu/thro/genocide/index.html Professor Howard Tolley of the University of Cincinnati has created an interactive Web site on which you can role-play the judge at the International Court of Justice when Bosnia brought charges against Yugoslavia in 1993. You can explore the facts, research the law, and consider opposing arguments, and then make your judgement. How does it compare to the court’s actual decision? International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) http://www.un.org/icty/ Established by the United Nations Security Council in 1993, the ICTY is mandated to prosecute persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. Visit this Web site to see who was indicted for war crimes and what judgment was rendered. What has happened with the case against Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslavian leader? Do you believe that the international community’s ability to punish individuals for war crimes will be a deterrent against future acts of genocide and inhumanity? United Nations Peacekeeping Operations http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/home.shtml The United Nations has deployed numerous international military and civilian personnel to conflict areas to stop or contain hostilities and supervise the carrying out of peace agreements.. Click on an ongoing mission and read about the profile, background, and facts and figures concerning the mission. Do the same thing for an older mission. Are there any similarities or differences? Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html This chapter discusses the development of international human rights protections. Read the document that started it all—the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt, serving as a delegate to the United Nations, chaired the committee that produced this document?