Global Institutions:UN Beyond

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor

Multilateral institutions remain central to global politics, security, development, finance and commerce. They face heightened challenges like no time since 1945 from great powers, global South nations’ and groupings’ rise, resurgent sovereignty claims, budgetary squeezes, reform demands, climate change and the instructor’s specialties of health security, migration as well as backsliding democracy and human rights. As any international affairs professional must understand a broad array of institutions, their dynamics and issue areas, the course treats: (1) the beleaguered yet impactful United Nations as starting point for evolving multilateralism for half the course; (2) other inter-governmental institutions such as multilateral banks (e.g., World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) and regional organizations (e.g. EU, NATO, African Union, OAS, ASEAN); and (3) vital multi-stakeholder bodies of states, private sector and civil society in global health, cyberspace and climate governance. The course treats above all the politics of (a) the states and stakeholders in institutions, and (b) bureaucracies. Mastery of how the game is played and is changing is valuable to careers in these institutions, governments, business and NGOs. Allowing choice of issue interests, two brief prescriptive memos and oral defenses of them sharpen skills for various career settings. A takehome final requires analysis of varied types of texts (e.g., documents, leaders’ statements, journalistic and academic) exposed in diverse course readings. Pluralism of guest lecturers, ethical and explanatory perspectives and in-class dialogue are integral to the course.