- Teacher: Fanny Badache
This course unpacks the changing role of international organisations (IOs) in international security. An important feature of contemporary politics, IOs have been called upon to answer security challenges around the globe. This course will unpack variation in why and how IOs attempt to provide security ' and why they regularly fail at doing so. Both organisational factors and the broader politics of IOs will be examined.
The first, introductory part of the course situates different conceptions of security challenges across time in the broader landscape of the study of International Relations. The course then introduces three theoretical perspectives on IOs: institutional design, organisational agency and behaviour, and inter-organisational relations. Students will review major security IOs, namely the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, the African Union, the OSCE, and smaller regional organisations.
The second part of the course applies these concepts and IOs to three specific domains where IOs provide security: Peacekeeping, deterrence, and cybersecurity. Through interactive engagement with various academic and media sources, we will answer questions such as: Why is NATO deploying missions in parallel with the EU? Why is the UN struggling to embrace counter-terrorism mandates? And why does the West clash with Russia and China in attempting to draw up cybersecurity regulation? By engaging in three different areas of security, students will critically engage with the potential and limitations of IOs in providing international security.