Are International Organizations Threatening Sovereignty?

 Rahaf Marzoug | 2024/3/05

In world politics, globalization is one word that describes the interconnectivity of technology, communication and economics between states. The interdependency of states balances the power and allow coexistence to fit in instead of conflicts and instability. These aspects of international system can be achieved through applying international relations and bridging gaps between different cultures and different societies in different countries. Together, countries can cooperate and work together to achieve common interests by applying international organizations. But to what extent should these organization interfere in the name of “globalization”? and are they threatening the sovereignty of states? This is what will be discussed in this paper. While international organizations play a crucial role in promoting globalization and facilitating cooperation between states, their increasing involvement raises concerns about the extent of their interference and the potential threat to state sovereignty. Through a realist lens, this paper will critically examine the impact of international organizations on state sovereignty, exploring the tension between global interdependence and the preservation of national autonomy.

International organizations in its early stages is the congress of Vienna that took place from 1814 to 1815. Following the collapse of the French Emperor Napoleon a diplomatic conference took place to restore stability and establish a new European political framework after Napoleon wars. International organizations as described by J. Samuel Barkin in his book (International Organizations: Theories and institutions) are “organizations that are created by agreement among states rather than by private individuals”. International organizations are considered to be part of Intergovernmental Organizations. These international organizations such as the UN, NAFO and World Bank are created by treaties signed by states. IO’s can by created by other IO’s rather than by states directly and they cover many global issues such as peace and security, human rights and environmental issues.

Now that we know the historical background and functional roles of international organizations, let’s look at the interdependency between IO’s and global governance in the international system. The role of organization, whether they are intergovernmental and nongovernmental organization isn’t limited only to facilitating communications between states, it also deals with protecting states sovereignty and internal affairs and limit other state’s interference to civil issues inside the country. Global governance plays a huge role in shaping IO’s engagements and activities. Global governance is the regulations of global activities that doesn’t come from authoritative sources, but still has the power to change the game for international organizations engagements and set boundaries when it comes to state’s sovereignty. Sovereignty is legally granted by the existence of global governance due to the protection that it provides against occupation, tyrant rulers and internal corruption. One example of how international organizations can play a crucial role in protecting the sovereignty of a country is the Gulf War.

In August 1990, Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, invaded and occupied Kuwait, claiming it as part of its territory. This act of aggression and violation of Kuwait's sovereignty prompted international condemnation. The United Nations, through its Security Council, responded swiftly by passing a series of resolutions condemning Iraq's actions and demanding its immediate withdrawal from Kuwait. The primary resolution in this regard was UN Security Council Resolution 678, which authorized the use of force to liberate Kuwait if Iraq failed to comply with the UN's demands. International military action was subsequently taken under a coalition led by the United States, with the support of numerous countries and under the auspices of the United Nations. This military campaign, known as Operation Desert Storm, aimed to restore Kuwait's sovereignty and remove Iraqi forces from its territory.[1]

However, there are instances where global governance and IO’s can undermine the functioning of the international system by pursuing objectives that are contrary to their intended purposes. Realists view the role of international organizations with some doubts and skepticism. They believe that the main objectives for IO’s in international relations is gaining power and managing the outcomes to the country’s favor to achieve personal interest. For realists, it makes little sense to believe that IOs can work together to achieve interdependency and cooperate with other states because they believe that IOs can really succussed if it was backed by powerful states and controlled them in their favor, because powerful states know that they can’t achieve their goals unless they used other state’s resources to gain political power, social power, economic power, and military power. Therefore, it can threat state’s sovereignty and loss it’s protection to powerful states.

In summary, although international organizations are pivotal in advancing globalization and fostering state cooperation, their growing intervention raises apprehensions regarding the degree of their interference and the potential jeopardy to state sovereignty. The impact of international organizations on sovereignty can be twofold: they can either support and enhance the existence of sovereignty by protecting states from external attacks or pose a threat by potentially restricting its legitimacy. The outcome depends on the specific circumstances and context of each situation. Moreover, unlike liberalists, according to realist’s perspective, international organizations are viewed to have detrimental effect on sovereignty, potentially limiting its legitimacy. It is important to note that various outcomes may arise when different theories of international relations are examined and analyzed.

[1] Gulf War (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War (Accessed: 05 March 2024).