THE RELEVANCE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROMOTION OF PEACE IN THE GLOBAL SYSTEM.

The English Philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588) reasoned that in the absence of rules governing behavior, ‘man will live in the state of nature governed by his reason in service of his passion’. It is therefore inherent in man that, in the absence of set rules, he should strive at all cost to accomplish his or her desires. Thus, when there is a collection of such uncompromising selfishness in forming nations and groups well recognized and distinct from one another, it is exceedingly difficult to ensure that nations or groups which have attained some form of upper hand do not use this to intimidate others. The only way to prevent such an occurrence is by basing on a common will and agreement among the nations to maintain peace while pursuing development. For this kind of agreement to happen, the various nations or groups must meet and come to a consensus on the rules of engagement among themselves and also prescribe sanctions on any group among them that flaunts these rules. When the nations meet and agree to follow certain rules and to achieve certain goals, they form International Organizations or Intergovernmental Organizations. Intergovernmental Organizations therefore exist to oversee the many bilateral or multilateral relations among countries of the world. This is necessary in ensuring global peace in today’s world where many countries possess war machineries capable of wiping out the whole human race. The following are elaborations of how Intergovernmental organizations strive to promote peace in the global system.

To begin with, the need for a global front against wars and extreme conflicts necessitates the formation of Intergovernmental Organizations such as The United Nations. The United Nations was formed in April, 1945 to replace The League of Nations which had failed to prevent World War 2. World War 2 demonstrated how conflict happening in a particular region of the world has ripple effects on other countries not directly involved in it. Since the formation of the United Nations, countries have subscribed to having friendly relations with other nations and are watching with keen eye for the countries which are in long standing disputes to settle those disputes amicably instead of resorting to armory. A case in view is the 2013 North Korea threat of nuclear war against the United States of America. Since a nuclear action, though meant against the United States alone, would have a global effect, the United Nations intervened by  continually sending delegations to hold talks with the North Korean government and when such talks failed, it organized members to be poised to impose worldwide financial constraints on North Korea should they start a nuclear war. These actions kept North Korea at check.

Also, the United Nations has as one of its core goals to advocate for the recognition and protection of the rights of every person as an individual and a complete entity. This is important in ensuring that slavery which existed in the past will not be perpetuated again. A case in point that demonstrates how relevant Intergovernmental Organizations are in ensuring that the rights of individuals are not suppressed by ruling class or people of authority is the 2011 North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations’ humanitarian intervention in Libya in a time when Libya’s leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, used the military to oppress the natives of Libya during the Arab Spring. Colonel Gaddafi brutally suppressed any form of opposition that rose to demand democracy in Libya. He ordered the killing of members of other prominent families in order to secure his bid for dictatorship thereby trampling on the human rights of many citizens. The international community condemned these actions and Intergovernmental Organizations such NATO with consent of the United Nations sent troops into Libya to oust out Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Further, the relevance of Intergovernmental Organizations can be seen in the aids The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund grants to countries that need money to develop various aspects of their economies. Current News items are perpetually riddled with stories of people migrating from poor countries like Syria, Nigeria, and Ghana to highly developed nations in search for greener pastures. Such grants from the International Monetary fund and the World Bank enables such poor countries to create job opportunities for their citizens and also improve their educational sectors and other relevant parts of their economies in order to discourage people from migrating to other countries and becoming burdens there. Some people who migrate to other countries end up engaging in vices that strains the bilateral relationships that exist between the native country and the host country.

Furthermore, International Organizations such as the Interpol do the job of domestic police officers in investigating, apprehending and prosecuting criminals whose activities involve more than one country. Such criminal and terrorist organizations such as the Boko Haram and the Al Qaeda groups are monitored by the Interpol to prevent act of terrorism or crime. These criminals when caught by the Interpol are tried at the International Court of Justice, another International Organization that prosecutes matters which transcend national borders. The International Court of Justice also adjudicates on issues involving individuals and countries. It also adjudicates in matters of disputes involving two or more countries. A case in point is the Nigeria and Cameroon clash over the oil and gas rich Bakassi Peninsula which was later settled in favour of Cameroon by the International Court of Justice.

Since all countries interdepend on each other and there is constant movement of citizens among countries, the need for specific rules to govern engagement of nations is necessary and so further necessitating the existence of Intergovernmental Organization. As has been stated earlier, in the absence of generally agreed to and upheld rules countries may just adopt animosity towards each other which might cause far more horrible destruction than was seen in Adolf Hitler’s time.