While occasionally individual states in the international system have sought to find the solution to problems that they face alone - be they security-related, financial, social or environmental - the nature of the 21st century's geopolitical issues almost demand a collective, transnational response. But what entity or entities serve to facilitate this transnational cooperation? Enter international organizations, or IOs. This course is centered on introducing students to the landscape of global IOs that exist in the world today. To that end, this course investigates the emergence, purposes, and contemporary statuses of a variety of the major IOs that mark the international relations landscape today. These will include global IOs (like the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the International Criminal Court), regional IOs (like the European Union [EU], African Union [AU], and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN]); and a variety of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)(like Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, and the International Committee of the Red Cross). The course also assesses the impact and relevance of international organizations as an issue of concern to Army officers and national security professionals.
