POLITICS AT THE UNITED NATIONS:
RELEVANCE AND REFORM
P11.2210 (001), Fall 2005, Mondays, 8.10 p.m. to 9.50 p.m.
Prof. Ahmad Kamal, former Ambassador of Pakistan

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The transition from the end of the Twentieth Century to the beginning of the Twenty-First Century coincides with a period of exciting and fundamental change in international relations, characterized by an increasing awareness and debate about the role of the international organizations. Never has the challenge been greater for international organizations as they come to terms with the problems connected with their role in international peace and security, the regulation of the international commons, the promotion of economic and social development, the provision of public services to refugees and displaced persons, and the enforcement of global human rights norms. All this is being done under relentless public scrutiny.

In a much lauded, much maligned, much misunderstood environment, the United Nations System is being subjected to varying interpretations, about its structure, its role, its role, its challenges, its potential, and its essential work. Some believe it is a supra-national structure to be kept firmly under control, others, that it is the forum for the solution of all problems. Students will come to appreciate its strengths and weaknesses.
The course will be a complement to the other courses on International Organizations being taught at the University. It will focus on the political aspects of negotiations at the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods Institutions, and cover the different parameters of the debate about relevance and reform.

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

- build up a critical view of the United Nations system, in all sectors of its activities.
- understand the challenges, the potential, and the shortcomings.
- explain the role of governmental and non-state actors in international politics.
- identify the differing views of governmental and non-governmental actors.
- synthesize information and articulately ask questions and state positions.
- describe a variety of global topics and the roles and responsibilities of the relevant national, regional, and international actors involved in particular topics.
- be able to list the economic and political policy tools available to governments and international organizations, and how these tools are used to create alliances, resolve international disputes, maintain peace, or punish a nation.
- know the numerous global and regional issues today and as we move deeper into the twenty first century.